tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43229607047252491522024-02-21T03:04:41.535-05:00THE PROCESS PROJECTJ Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-54850362189854756642016-05-18T17:00:00.000-04:002016-05-18T17:00:10.811-04:00Linda Simoni-Wastila<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtat7xag2EchGq-OHy-Tj15ZLDEutFimMN1tllSTPteFzCoYn7lAhOSprBoF9tBwkxeEV_gIGN1xUeO8PK2YJwsg9Mnu6s9bEUhx4ngc_THQU1xQRLliB4qOYQ6M5xKWdQBMYROk_aaYJl/s1600/3169-Linda-Simoni-Wastila.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtat7xag2EchGq-OHy-Tj15ZLDEutFimMN1tllSTPteFzCoYn7lAhOSprBoF9tBwkxeEV_gIGN1xUeO8PK2YJwsg9Mnu6s9bEUhx4ngc_THQU1xQRLliB4qOYQ6M5xKWdQBMYROk_aaYJl/s320/3169-Linda-Simoni-Wastila.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b><b><span style="font-size: large;">LINDA SIMONI-WASTILA</span></b></b><br />
<b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></b></div>
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Linda Wastila writes from Baltimore, where she professes, mothers, and gives a damn. You can find her Pushcart- and Best-of-the-Net poems and stories at <i>Smokelong Quarterly</i>, <i>Monkeybicycle</i>, <i>Scissors and Spackle</i>, <i>MiCrow</i>, <i>The Sun</i>, <i>Blue Five Notebook</i>, <i>The Poet’s Market 2013</i>, <i>Hoot</i>, <i>Connotation Press</i>, <i>Camroc Press Review</i>, <i>Right Hand Pointing</i>, <i>Every Day Fiction</i>, and <i>Nanoism</i>, among others. In 2015, she received her MA in Writing (Fiction) from the Johns Hopkins University. She loves her gig as Senior Fiction Editor at JMWW and penning posts at <a href="http://linda-leftbrainwrite.blogspot/">http://linda-leftbrainwrite.blogspot</a>.<br />
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First, I’d like to thank you for having me on your blog and for inviting so many other writers to share their process. You’ve done a great thing here. <b>Thank you, Linda :) And now for the questions!</b><br />
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<b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing? </b><br />
I think of myself as a novelist. Since I approach from a place of character, I guess I write literary fiction. My characters are what compel me to write, and I’m not sure where they come from. But almost all my stories start with snippets of images: a young man with overgrown dark hair leaning from the window of a Chevy 4x4, his breath lofting ghosts in the chilled air; an older woman alone in a church sanctuary, lighting candles, humming to herself; a physician in a hospital chapel, licking a fentanyl patch. That said, I spend every April writing a daily poem, and I do write a lot of micro-fictions.<br />
<b><br /><br />What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals?</b><br />
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Every morning I write. The alarm goes off at 5:30, I make my coffee. I sit down at a small, antique cherry desk I inherited from a friend, a wonderful woman who has passed, when she moved into a nursing home. My laptop sits on top, my work-in-progress to my left. I turn on a lamp that sheds natural light, and otherwise sit in the dark. I skim what I wrote last, then dig in. Sometimes I remember to look out the window (my desk is tucked in a bay) and see the day dawn. In spring, birds gather in the pink buds outside the window,<br />
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I try to write for 30-60 minutes every day, but it doesn’t always happen. For me, it’s difficult to just write non-stop for more than an hour. During the weekday mornings, all sorts of things punctuate my writing: getting my daughter up for school, giving the rabbit a treat, packing lunches. I get my best writing done on weekends and holidays, when my family sleeps in. I edit on my subway rides to and from work.<br />
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My writing area is my area, one of the few spaces in my home that is fully mine. In the window, I have a framed and signed micro-fiction penned by one of my favorite writers—Charles Baxter—won at an auction. Another print of crows, my spirit animal, created by an artist friend. I have a clay storyteller from Taos that sits on my desk, surrounded by small animals I collect. Sometimes I think of my desk as an altar.<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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I don’t really organize my ideas. I don’t organize until after I have a first draft. I just kind of lose myself in my characters and in the story. I love first drafts. Second drafts, I hate. This is when I have to make tough decisions, when I have to structure and organize and shed and build.<br />
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For instance, I’m working on a memoir now. I think I finally have something interesting to share: how I came to send one of my children to a wilderness program, and why, and what came after. I have ideas in my head about what I want to write about, but when I started writing, I found myself at an unlikely beginning: trying to get pregnant with him 20 years ago. Writing about that adventure conjured up all sorts of unexpected emotions and memories and ideas.<br />
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I keep at least one journal on me at all times. There, I jot down thoughts and ideas about whatever I’m working on—or random interesting snippets of dialogue or observation that come my way. I refer often to my journals. I also have (at least) one dedicated journal for each project which I write in when I get stuck and need to hash things out.<br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b><br />
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I wish I was more organized. I just write. From Point A to Point Z. All in one file. I could use a California Closet makeover of my computer folders. (But I DO back-up all my stuff, and send myself email attachments of everything I work on).<br />
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b><br />
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I generally love revision, and hate it at the same time. Mark Farrington’s class on Advanced Revision gave me a lot of tools for when I get stuck. I prefer fine editing, the elevating of ideas and language, of digging deeper into character. I’m not so fond of the armature parts, of structure. For me, when it comes to the big Revision, every story calls for its own approach. For every story or novel, after I’ve finished a first draft, I read through it quickly because everything’s new and exciting, and make notes in the text as ideas hit me—and them I put it away and work on another project. Sometimes stuff marinates for a few weeks, sometimes months; in the case of my second novel, three years. <br />
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My first novel BRIGHTER THAN BRIGHT was a linear story taking place in one year with two POV characters: a college undergrad who keeps his mental illness secret, and his girlfriend, who has to decide how she feels about loving someone who is mentally ill. For this story, I just kept writing and rewriting, trying out different tenses and perspectives. After input from trusted readers, including several agents and editors, I ended up ditching the woman’s POV and keeping only Ben’s. I call BTB my sad-lad new adult ‘Boy, Interrupted’ story.<br />
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PURE, on the other hand, actually has a weird structure and three first-person POVs, and I have gone through many index cards and tables where each scene is detailed: purpose; plot; pivot point; resolution. I’ve come to realize I don’t want to be in these people’s heads, so now I’m rewriting in third, which allows a different kind of freedom.<br />
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write? </b><br />
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I have no idea why I write. It’s certainly not for fame or money, though having recognition does motivate me. But essentially, I woke up one morning (January 2, 2006 to be precise) to these words in my head: “Who is Benjamin Michael, and why is he in trouble?” I started writing about this young man, and he and the story kind of took over. After work, after dinner, after putting my kiddos to bed, I’d sit in my armchair with my laptop and churn out words. It was incredibly easy because I was possessed. Five months later, I had 183,000 words and a finished first draft. It took me twice as long to finish the first revision. (The version I’m marketing now has 88,000 words). <br />
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But I found something seductive in the writing, something that both calmed me and energized me and I haven’t looked back. <br />
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<b>Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what did you do to get past this hump? </b><br />
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I get discouraged often. This year celebrates ten years of serious writing. I’ve had successes with small stories, essays, and poems, including Pushcart and Best-of-the-Net nominations, and netted close to $2,000 for my words, not enough to retire on. But I haven’t published a book. Many of my friends from the early days have published, and I celebrate their successes and support them, but there’s a small part of me that feels like I’m being left behind. I get over feeling discouraged by remembering how hard everyone who writes works, and there is a piece of this business which is luck. And while I persist in the writing, I’m not so good at pushing myself forward. I’m a quieter type, and not so used to tooting my own horn, and as a result have not been as aggressive in marketing to agents and publishers as I could be. So I’m dedicating part of my writing time to researching the marketing, honing my pitches, entering contests, and submitting queries and manuscripts. </div>
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<b>Have you ever had “writer’s block?” How did you get past this? </b><br />
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I don’t believe in writer’s block. I do believe in the fallow times, when ideas are scarce. I just show up every day, and if nothing on current projects immediately comes to mind, I write about my dreams, my worries, my hopes. I describe the morning. I exercise my writing muscle every single day.</div>
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<b>Anything else you'd like to share?</b><br />
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Writing is a solitary act. It gets lonely real fast. But what I’ve discovered in the past ten years is that writers are their own tribe, and once you find another writer, you’ve found a friend. And I am so incredibly grateful for all my writing friends, many of whom I have never met but who I ‘know’ through their stories and poems. Sharing writing is a most intimate act, and I feel incredibly blessed to share words with people all over the world. It’s a form of breaking bread. <br />
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Thank you again for hosting me! You’re a great friend, a generous friend, to me personally, and to writers all over. Peace…<br />
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<b>Want more Linda?? Check out her work and networks below!!! </b><br />
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Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/drwasy">@drwasy</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/linda.simoniwastila">https://www.facebook.com/linda.simoniwastila</a><br />
Blog: <a href="http://linda-leftbrainwrite.blogspot.com/">http://linda-leftbrainwrite.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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<b>And some of her work can be read....</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.smokelong.com/the-abridged-biography-of-an-american-sniper/">The Abridged Biography of an American Sniper</a> </div>
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(Smokelong Quarterly)</div>
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<a href="http://everydayfiction.com/after-the-tsunami-by-linda-simoni-wastila/">After the Tsunami</a> </div>
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(Everyday Fiction)<br />
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<a href="http://www.camrocpressreview.com/search?updated-max=2014-11-12T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=1">After He Failed to wake Up and It’s True What They Say</a> </div>
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(Camroc Press Review)<br />
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<a href="https://bluefifthreview.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/broadside-30-spring-2013-13-8/">Row House</a></div>
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(Blue Fifth Review)</div>
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<a href="http://pureslush.webs.com/armor.htm">Armor</a> </div>
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(Pure Slush)</div>
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<a href="http://www.flash-frontier.com/february-2016-dance/#mainstreaming">Mainstreaming at the Middle-School Social</a> </div>
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(Flash Fiction Frontier Spring 2016)</div>
J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-10573647913434829242016-05-04T17:00:00.000-04:002016-05-04T17:00:00.237-04:00Hetal Avanee<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOl9-QubA-juOOQLuKbW6PzKqBRObFenrYnki_UxNmlbcSJZRv3WrrlVRx2WnftbWjf9x5cG4vFfheR-wTE2AvaEq_CpECevLUr3BnHZrxwp3mNkfEeiE1oIxDOVEwuo-vTqDUn6lawSFE/s1600/PROFILE.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOl9-QubA-juOOQLuKbW6PzKqBRObFenrYnki_UxNmlbcSJZRv3WrrlVRx2WnftbWjf9x5cG4vFfheR-wTE2AvaEq_CpECevLUr3BnHZrxwp3mNkfEeiE1oIxDOVEwuo-vTqDUn6lawSFE/s320/PROFILE.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">HETAL AVANEE</span></b></div>
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Daughter, sister, wife, and mom are titles that have heretofore defined me. I'm working hard to add "published author" to that list.<br />
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As a first generation Indian-American growing up in a predominantly Caucasian community, I often escaped into Indian mythologies and superstitions to get through the wearisome days. After the day job is done, parenting is performed, and the chauffeur’s hat is hung up for the night, I'm bending those stories to my will so the girl’s saving the day, the guy if the situation demands, and traveling the world.<br />
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<b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing?</b><br />
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I write in the still under appreciated New Adult age group, in the even tougher genre of Urban Fantasy. I’ve also started a Psych Thriller/Horror that I’m really excited about and hope to have complete in the next few months.<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals?</b><br />
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I cram writing around my day job and kiddo time, but my stories are never far from my mind. Which scene will I tackle next or what can make an already "complete" scene stronger are only a couple of questions that nag me - there are so many others that are relentless! Doesn't leave much time in the day. <br />
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Whenever I'm finally able to sit in front of the computer I do so with the scene I want to tackle in mind. A bottle of cold water sweats next to me, and I am bundled up to the nines against any stray draft. The earbuds go in and dance music (yes, you read that correctly) starts pounding against my eardrums. This is counter-intuitive to lots of people, I'm sure, but nothing gets me into the heart of a fight scene or helps me wrack up the tension like the heavy bass and quick beat of EDM. I’ve actually gotten so used to the sound that I tend to block it out anyway.<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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Before I write one word of any story, I imagine the plot points that will transform their journey. Based on Larry Brooks' Story Structure series, I break the story into 4 acts - the 3 act structure is hard for me - and scope out the 7 plot points. Those seven key moments of the story have to be clear to me whether I'm plotting a fantasy or a thriller, and the moments in between grow organically.<br />
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I create an excel spreadsheet for each of my stories. Based on wordcount for the genre I'll divy up the wordcount into the four acts, those four acts into X number of pages per chapter, and finally insert my 7 plot points. I might not follow my own guidelines to the word, but when I can note on my sheet that I've completed 2401 of 2400 words of Chapter X, I feel good about my progress that day.<br />
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My characters are pretty malleable in the beginning. I know their motivations, fears, and dreams, but THEY aren’t that clear to me. I don’t know their hair or eye color, their skin tone or race or vocal inflections, until moments before the writing starts.<br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work? </b><br />
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I tend to write whichever scenes are clearest to me. That means I could write the last scenes before I complete the first word of the first chapter, but it works for me because I'm completely engrossed in the outcome of that scene.</div>
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I only recently realized I work best writing scene by scene. Especially in the early stages of the story when a perfect scene comes to mind, but I’m not sure yet where it will fit, I’ll write it out and save it in a miscellaneous folder with a short title of the scene. It’s my version of the old-fashioned index card method of outlining.<br />
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I don’t create chapters right away. I like to hoard my scenes, place them into a corresponding folder labeled Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. It’s only when I feel pretty good about the number of scenes in each of my folders that I start shuffling my “cards” around and then creating the transitions between the scenes.<br />
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I have too many folders, excel sheets, and documents of research for my current piece than I can count. Every time I made a major edit to the structure, I created a new folder to house the old information.</div>
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do? </b></div>
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<b><br /></b>I start dictating all my thoughts to Siri if I’m driving, otherwise I pull up the note app and start typing before the thought escapes me. </div>
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b><br />
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I use editing software like AutoCrit or ProWritingAid to highlight adverbs, overused words, sentence structure, common errors, etc. I could do these things in Word, but it's nice to see my draft highlighted in various colors. After I've made my changes, re-read and polished, I pass off my pages to a trusted beta reader who provides me invaluable feedback.</div>
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<b>Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what did you do to get past this hump?</b><br />
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Sure, I think we all get discouraged. Discouraged by a tough scene, a difficult chapter, a stubborn character. I want to scream or put my head in my hands and give up. Instead, I take a minute, take an hour, take a day, but I always get back to writing. Some days are hard, some impossible, but I try, and that's the best I can do.</div>
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<b>Who/what inspires you? </b></div>
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My dark haired beauties are based on my daughter. My worlds are based on the real but transformed into the fantastic. Hindu mythology is infused in my fantasies and are the basis for each of my most important characters. </div>
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write?</b><br />
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Because if I don't write my stories, no one will. I write for my daughter who already calls me author and can't wait to read my stories. She can’t wait to see my name in print either.<br />
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Want more Hetal?? Check her out on the web!</div>
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<a href="http://www.hetalwrites.com/">Hetal Avanee's Website</a></div>
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<a href="http://twitter.com/HetalWrites">Twitter: @HetalWrites</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.hetalwrites.com/#!ficfest/b1b04">and be sure to check-out Hetal's team on #FicFest!</a><br />
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-45397350448723479142016-03-30T17:00:00.000-04:002016-04-07T08:21:32.627-04:00Mark Farrington<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz75cgcAO8mrHJLO0h05vzNSYgH4b5M4g4amswCzSNqTeW4Ycr2OIpBWdPWhKfZINnhdQyfwwbWSNfR2Stt8jipn8d_PWAk53CncIjBAOcTjoC2P6LbPTzQzv5kvRguY4oBLFUbXcVfhmP/s1600/Mark.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz75cgcAO8mrHJLO0h05vzNSYgH4b5M4g4amswCzSNqTeW4Ycr2OIpBWdPWhKfZINnhdQyfwwbWSNfR2Stt8jipn8d_PWAk53CncIjBAOcTjoC2P6LbPTzQzv5kvRguY4oBLFUbXcVfhmP/s400/Mark.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">MARK FARRINGTON</b></div>
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Mark Farrington has been a writer and teacher of writing for thirty years. He currently teaches in the Johns Hopkins University’s MA in Writing Program, where he also serves as Assistant Director and Fiction Advisor. He has won multiple Outstanding Teacher awards, both at Johns Hopkins and at George Mason University, where he taught previously. He has an MFA in fiction writing from George Mason University and a B.A. in English and American Literature from Colby College, where he graduated cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. He is married and lives in Alexandria, Virginia. </div>
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What is your main genre of writing? </b><br />
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Literary fiction, both short stories and novels.<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals?</b><br />
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I try to write every day, or as many days as I can, for at least an hour a day. Some days I get in only ten or twenty minutes; other days I get in several hours. When I’m especially busy teaching my classes, I may even put aside the writing entirely for as much as a week or two. I try not to beat myself up if I don’t write; instead I try as best I can to clear aside more time in the days ahead. For example, I might have a full day’s work of school stuff that has to be done in the next three days. Sometimes I’ll break that work up into three parts, and each of those three days, I’ll both write fiction and do some schoolwork. But if the schoolwork is weighing on me too much, I’ll take one full day and do nothing but schoolwork – clearing my plate – and then I’ll have the next two days to focus on my own work. I’ve been at this a long time, and I’ve finally reached a point where I can pretty much tell when I need a break from writing as opposed to when I’m avoiding writing. I can’t say I never avoid writing, but usually, if I’m avoiding it, I figure that out in a day or two, rather than when I was younger and I’d agonize and beat myself up for committing such a “writing sin” as avoiding writing. Lately I’ve even realized that sometimes I’m avoiding writing because I’m really not ready to write.<br />
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I write in the mornings, usually very soon after getting up. I find that I’m fresher at that time, and less bothered by all the distractions coming from the rest of life. I’m probably also a little closer to the dream state I want to enter when I write – early drafts anyway. Also, I found that when I wrote at night, I had all day to talk myself out of that evening’s writing – and I was too often “successful.” However, I often do editing or more targeted revisions in the afternoons or evenings, as they require a more conscious attention.<br />
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Where I write varies. If I’m working on the computer, I will write in my office at home. (The computer sitting in front of a window.) Sometimes I go out and sit by the Potomac River in a park somewhere and write by hand; I also do a lot of editing this way. My writing always seems to be most productive when I’m near the ocean – something in the air I guess – so I try to make a few trips every year where I can just hang out and write.<br />
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I don’t listen to music. I usually need silence, or maybe I should say that I need to not be aware of the noise around me. Mostly what I need is the feeling that at least for my writing time, I’m not “responsible” to any other person: I don’t have to listen to see if someone is going to need me for something.<br />
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A long time ago I smoked cigarettes, a lot of cigarettes, and when I finally quit, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to write without smoking. That proved false, thankfully. I generally bring coffee with me when I sit down to write, but more often than not, after awhile I have nothing but an empty cup and no memory of drinking. So I suspect carrying the coffee cup is more of a crutch than a necessity.<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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Over the past year I’ve settled into a process that seems to work very well for me. It’s not a totally new process for me, in that I’ve been doing things pretty much this way for years, but it feels as if I’ve finally committed myself more to the process, and I trust it more thoroughly than I ever have before. That’s made a big difference for me.<br />
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I begin by sitting with my eyes closed and observing what’s going on in my mind. I wouldn’t call this meditation, exactly, because I have ulterior motives, to “discover” that day’s writing. I observe my mind to see where I’m at this moment on this day. Some days I’m tired, or distracted or feeling overwhelmed by the business of living, and once I recognize that, I’m usually able to let it go and devote myself to the writing.<br />
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At that point, I try to find a balance between “allowing” the writing to come to me, and deciding on what I want to work on that day. Sometimes I’ll have an idea that’s come up previously that I would like to focus on. I usually keep a list of things (scenes or partial stories) that I could focus on, if nothing better comes along. But ideally, I stay open to what comes into my head, and when something does arise that seems interesting, I go with it.<br />
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Sometimes what “shows up” is a sentence; more often for me it’s an image, or some details of a picture (a guy sitting in a car looking through a rain-spotted windshield would be one example). I’ll start writing what I see, and explore wherever that takes me. It doesn’t matter to me whether I know anything more than what I see in that first image; I’ll keep exploring and see what comes up, and if I’m drawn to what comes up, I’ll stay with it.<br />
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I try to do this even when I’ve been working a few days straight on one particular story. If I get an image that intrigues me, and seems as if it might be rich in material, I’ll go with it, even if it doesn’t seem to belong in the story I’ve been working on. Occasionally when I’ve done this, that image that I thought had no connection to the current story ends up playing an important role in the story; at other times, I find that what I’ve been writing is a new story, entirely different from the first.<br />
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The key for me – and the place where I think I’ve made the most significant change over the past year – lies in trusting the process. If what comes up interests me – even if it’s not what I’d “planned” to write on that day, and even if I have no idea if it will ever lead to a coherent story – I’ll stick with it, sometimes for many days, trusting that it will all come together at some point (the story will “tell me”), or, if it doesn’t, my time will not have been wasted. (If nothing else, doing this over and over helps me practice trusting what rises out of my subconscious.)<br />
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I judge the success of each day’s writing by asking questions like these: Does it hold my attention? Does it interest me? Does it feel like I’m getting closer to the truth of something? Is it somehow different than what I’ve written before, so that I don’t feel I’m simply repeating myself? Does the material have potential I’m drawn to explore?<br />
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I will think about the writing, once I finish that day’s writing, but always just in terms of possibilities. There’s a famous line about how John Steinbeck used to write on an index card at the end of every day, “This is what my novel is about today.” I make that even less definitive: This is what my story might be about today. Or, This is where my story might be headed. Or, This is how what I’ve written the past three days might all fit together. The “might” is important because I must accept that I’m making decisions based on incomplete knowledge. I’m looking at a puzzle that still has many pieces missing, and so the best I can do is to say, Today, this might be what I’m looking at. Tomorrow, with more writing that provides more information, I might change my mind.<br />
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And there’s no reason that I have to know what my story is trying to become, not when I’m still in the midst of a first draft. I might feel more comfortable, but writing isn’t something I do to feel comfortable. <br />
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When I’m working on a first draft, I overwrite tremendously. I just keep exploring the story, going with whatever material comes up. It’s not unusual for a story – that in its final form is about 22 pages – to be 80 or 90 pages long by the end of the first draft. Some of those pages contain the same scenes written two or three times, but they also contain scenes I needed to write in order to get to the scenes I eventually kept. Mostly, I want everything about a story to be laid out on the page, so that I can feel confident everything has been thoroughly explored. Then I can decide what to keep and what to cut, based on a full exploration of what the story might contain.<br />
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I save all drafts, and all portions of drafts. A first draft of a story usually takes me seven to ten days (not always consecutive days), and a typical story of mine undergoes eight to ten different drafts, though the final few are usually focused on polishing the writing.<br />
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Because I’m always looking for (but trying never to impose) a structure on a first draft, it’s usually in the second (or sometimes, third) draft that I begin to move pieces around into what seems the best order. I’ll label sections according to what happens in the section, so that I can get a kind of “outline” view (and so that I can manage all the material). Then in the third draft I begin to cut and shape. <br />
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After this third draft, I put the story away. I have a friend who puts his drafts in a 30-day drawer, and I’m not as organized as that, but I do stay away from the story for at least two weeks. I won’t let myself even think about the story, although if a flash of insight arises, I’ll write it in my notebook. While I’m away from that story, I’ll work on another.<br />
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I should say that the most important quality I’ve had to cultivate with this process is trust. I have learned to trust the process (largely because the results, story after story, have allowed me to grow that trust.) Some would say I’ve learned to “trust the Muse,” but whatever one calls it, there’s no doubt in my mind that it arises from somewhere other than my conscious mind. And that’s the beauty of it: the stories I end up writing are so much better than any story I could possibly have produced using only (or even mainly) my conscious mind. I guess there are writers who map out everything consciously before they even begin to write, and they may be quite successful doing it this way, but my conscious mind is not all that clever; the “territory” that is successful for me as a writer is territory I cannot access in my conscious mind. I have to find the story, not make it.<br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b><br />
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I guess I pretty much answered #4 in #3. Sometimes even writing a first draft the way I’ve described, I’ll get a “big picture” idea when I’m out walking, or late at night – when I’m not immersed in the writing. I’ll usually jot the idea down, but I won’t put a lot of stock in it – it’s a possibility but nothing more. Let’s say for instance that I’ve written what seems to be the first half of a story, and then I go out walking and suddenly think, “Oh, THIS is what this story is about.” I will write down that idea, but I won’t do anything with it, I won’t change my process to suit it. I’ll simply sit down the next day and wait for the writing to come, and see what develops. After I write more, I’ll be able to look back at that idea I had and see if it still seems to fit, or if, in the writing, I’ve learned something new.<br />
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When I’m in the middle of a story and I start asking myself, What is this story about? I’m usually just trying to make myself feel more comfortable, or create for myself the illusion that I really am in control of the material and I know what I’m doing. But that’s an illusion; I’m not in control, or maybe I should say the extent of my control is my ability to choose to give up that control. My conscious mind wants attention, and it wants to feel as if it’s important and will be listened to. So when it starts barking, I’ll listen, and I’ll assure it that it too will have its time, just not now. And then I’ll go back to the subconscious and let it tell me, through the writing, what I really need to know right then.<br />
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<b><br />When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process? </b><br />
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I got into some things about revision in one of the previous sections. I usually take a short story through eight-to-ten drafts. In this question of conscious vs. subconscious, I’d say that I use the conscious mind more and more as I make my way through each draft, but I also try to stay open to moments of insight that come from beyond the conscious mind. For instance, if I’m reading a passage aloud, I might consciously decide it’s wordy and consciously look for ways to tighten the writing. But I might also “hear” a false note, or “feel” the vagueness of a word that’s not precise enough. And sometimes, my conscious mind wants to convince me that a passage is “done,” when at some other level I know it needs more work.<br />
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Over the years, I’ve learned some of my tendencies, and I try to adapt my revision to address them. For instance, I often find myself starting stories in the very beginning, when that story’s opening would be more effective if it began at a later, tenser moment. So I make myself look for several options for where to start, even if I think the story’s current opening is okay. I know that I need time away from a story before I can effectively look at just the writing, so after I’ve gotten all the content right, and after doing a cursory tightening of the language, I’ll put the story away again for another week or two before doing a more comprehensive polishing of the writing. I’ve also learned that I need to read my writing aloud when I’m doing this late-draft polishing. I try not to read my work aloud until I get to that point, but I need to hear it then.<br />
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I mentioned how I handle the first three drafts: the first is almost totally given over to the subconscious; the second draft is spent sorting and ordering, and adding any fresh material that didn’t come up when I was writing the first draft. The third draft is where I begin to focus on each individual section, cutting and reshaping. This is where I ask the tough questions:<br />
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<li>Do I really need this part in the story? </li>
<li>Why is it placed where it is placed? </li>
<li>What does it contribute that the story needs and that isn’t found anywhere else? </li>
<li>Is it written in such a way that it’s “true” (Here, by “true,” I mean the absence of B.S. or fancy language designed mainly to impress readers with how clever I am, or to cover over the fact that I don’t really know what I want to say. Some writers do “clever” really well, but I’m at my best behind the scenes, when the reader forgets all about my existence and focuses on characters and story.)</li>
<li>One of the last questions for me is: Does this story seem to add up to something? The answer for me is always and only “Yes” or “No” (or perhaps “Maybe” or “I think so”). I do not ever try to say what it might add up to – what the “theme” might be, or what the story might be “about” on the level beneath the surface. I used to try and do this, but I found that everything I came up with reduced the story to something less than it was otherwise. Plus, it’s not up to me to decide what the themes are for the stories that I write. I care only that they have enough to them that they might resonate in some way with other people. Why or in what way they resonate is up to those other people. </li>
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After I’ve gone through these eight-to-ten drafts, the final step is to show my story to a couple of trusted readers. Usually, what I’m looking for is a general “thumbs up,” that yes, I am correct when I think this story does add up to something worthwhile; and I’m looking for any specific words or phrases or moments that don’t ring true. If instead of “Yes” I get “No,” then I’ll let that story sit awhile and then come back to it, fresher I hope and more able to see what it still might need. If I get a “Yes,” I’ll fix up whatever else has been mentioned and then set up a list of journals I want to send the story to. <br />
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At this point, for me the story’s done. It’s possible that down the road, if it doesn’t get published, I’ll revisit it, but for now I’ve done all I can do, taken the story as far as I can take it, and it’s up to editors to decide what happens next.<br />
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write? (or what keeps you motivated?)</b><br />
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When I first started writing fiction, I was young, and I told myself I wanted to write fiction but looking back, I’d say what I most wanted was to have written fiction. I cared about the product but didn’t much like the process. I tended to write only when I felt guilty, and I’d write only long enough until I no longer felt guilty. Then I’d stop writing and go do something I enjoyed.<br />
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Those feelings came mostly from the pressure I put on myself, and from wanting to be more an author than a writer. Things started to change when I stopped putting so much pressure on myself to produce something that would make others proud of me. One of the factors that helped create this change was that I turned 30. I guess without ever realizing it, I’d concluded that I had to accomplish something big and important as a writer before I became 30. (There’s even an anthology of writing called “30 Under 30,” or something like that, celebrating the work of writers under the age of 30.) The day I turned 30, I woke up and realized that no matter what I thought I should have accomplished by the time I turned 30, it was no longer possible for me to accomplish anything before the age of 30 other than what I’d already accomplished. Good or bad, successful or not, I had to live with what I’d done over the first 30 years of my life because I couldn’t change it or add to it or subtract from it. And once I accepted that, I felt relieved, and hopeful. I thought, Okay, going forward, I don’t need to accomplish anything in particular by a certain age, so I might as well just keep writing, keep trying to improve, and do the best I can. I always tended to put pressure on myself anyway, and so just as I’ve realized it’s a lot easier to live my life if I don’t put too much pressure on myself, I’ve learned that relieving the pressure on myself as a writer helps me enjoy writing more, and do a lot more of it.<br />
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After this change, I began to enjoy the process of writing a lot more. It was still a struggle sometimes to get myself to sit down and do it, but that was a question of discipline, nothing deeper. And then I found myself in a situation where someone very close to me was having serious health problems, and I found that those times I could steal to go off and write were sustaining me; more often than not, the time I spent writing was the happiest and most peaceful time of my day.<br />
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This was also when I began to allow myself to trust my subconscious. As a teacher, I would tell my students, “Cultivate surprise. If what comes up in your writing doesn’t surprise you, it probably won’t surprise your readers, either.” Good advice – but it took me a long time to embrace it in my own writing. And when I did, every day of writing seemed new and fresh and full of possibilities. What would come up today? Would this take me farther along in the story I had started yesterday? Perhaps it would be the start of something totally new?<br />
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This is where I am now as a writer: I love the process. I love it more than the product, because the process happens every day, whereas the product at some point is over and done with. This is the complete opposite of where I started as a writer, someone who cared only about having produced products. Don’t get me wrong; I can look back at some of the stories I’ve written and feel proud of the accomplishment; I can look at a few of those stories and think that they are better than any story I ever believed I would be capable of writing. But it’s the process that sustains me, the daily time spent living in the world of whatever story I’m writing right now.<br />
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And I’ve never found anything else in life that gives me that kind of feeling. Teaching comes close. Sex is great, though the feeling sure doesn’t last. (I should probably stop before I get myself in too much trouble.) Bottom line: writing gives me something unlike what anything else in life gives me, and I like it. I feel really grateful that I’ve been able to spend my whole life doing the two things I love most, writing and teaching, and in the process, making enough money to live a comfortable, if not opulent, life.<br />
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It’s taken me many years to acknowledge how lucky I am. And I will confess that every once in a while (though not nearly as often as before), I’ll still want to go out for a beer with a writer friend and sit and curse whatever force it was that made us want to be writers.<br />
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<b>Want More Mark?? Check out these publications and links below!!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6dOD1hAL9xxutN-enDEnhc3lKI6pC_aUyCYk9G8fa-vz8jLMeWrYlCCsmfG8ZuGmYDwAEs9Wv9E8ZRX0KG2KE963Q-0uTcn7ufTta-KyWl7KIL86thmM-PqE-vv5lVR2DfL7SC0wAU3u/s1600/Confessions+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6dOD1hAL9xxutN-enDEnhc3lKI6pC_aUyCYk9G8fa-vz8jLMeWrYlCCsmfG8ZuGmYDwAEs9Wv9E8ZRX0KG2KE963Q-0uTcn7ufTta-KyWl7KIL86thmM-PqE-vv5lVR2DfL7SC0wAU3u/s200/Confessions+cover.jpg" width="136" /></a>Mark’s short stories have won an Individual Artist’s Fellowship from the Virginia Commission on the Arts; an Editor’s Choice Award in the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest; First Prize in the Dan Rudy Fiction Award and the Metroversity Creative Writing Contest; and Second Place in the Dame Alice Throckmorton Fiction Prize. His stories have appeared in The 2014 Momaya Short Story Review, Carve, The Potomac Review, The Louisville Review, The New Virginia Review, and other literary journals, and in the anthologies Confessions: Facts or Fiction?; Stress City: An Anthology of D.C. Writers; October Mountain: An Anthology of Berkshire Writers; and The Third Berkshire Anthology. He has recently finished a novel, Manion in Darkness. He has also published articles on writing and the teaching of writing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3hB6J39vemWmhNdQ0c-k3b7f0MdLnGHrFmFtO1T1TTImvPPoORJ67Gu3x7ZwdDX_FDFhq16gD86md_WCw7iw5QnS1UbuWFCcy1ZCxlLzG9PX6QeeqrHY0GRji2UgfXPzCjpU4zFVkJb_/s1600/Carve+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3hB6J39vemWmhNdQ0c-k3b7f0MdLnGHrFmFtO1T1TTImvPPoORJ67Gu3x7ZwdDX_FDFhq16gD86md_WCw7iw5QnS1UbuWFCcy1ZCxlLzG9PX6QeeqrHY0GRji2UgfXPzCjpU4zFVkJb_/s200/Carve+cover.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.carvezine.com/from-the-editor/carver-contest-qa-with-mark-farrington-2011-editors-choice-w.html">Q&A With Mark Farrington, Carve</a></div>
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Short Stories:</div>
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<a href="http://www.carvezine.com/story/2011-fall-farrington">Motherlove, Carve Magazine</a> </div>
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-- <a href="http://nvwp.org/nvwp-tc-mark-farrington-reads-motherlove/">Hear Mark Read Motherlove here!</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jNkXn3eC8w">[1]</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w04qk2mHgyQ">[2]</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98Sh0OCo8xA">[3]</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.carvezine.com/story/2016-winter-farrington.">What Splits Us, Carve Magazine</a></div>
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Johns Hopkins Writing Program</div>
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<a href="http://advanced.jhu.edu/about-us/faculty/mark-farrington/">Mark Farrington - JHU Faculty Page</a></div>
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<a href="http://advanced.jhu.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/writing/">JHU Writing Program Website</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Writing-Program-at-Johns-Hopkins-University-195785284287/?fref=nf">JHU Writing Program on Facebook</a></div>
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-52014145311306934702016-03-23T17:00:00.000-04:002016-03-23T17:00:00.222-04:00Jaime Powell<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGVoRDW86_H75NDTdEApYGSuLVNRc6qc-6NRXUNG5Pvm7nWIN8cMOubn08D5DW4w8P8vd32nVBdk75IYLvb_hYe136ddhyphenhyphenp693bzesvJyDmNYWQ22PwFG1j2p4Qra0lX6TlNMw-xqGsmt/s1600/0819152009-2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGVoRDW86_H75NDTdEApYGSuLVNRc6qc-6NRXUNG5Pvm7nWIN8cMOubn08D5DW4w8P8vd32nVBdk75IYLvb_hYe136ddhyphenhyphenp693bzesvJyDmNYWQ22PwFG1j2p4Qra0lX6TlNMw-xqGsmt/s320/0819152009-2-1.jpg" width="152" /></a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">JAIME POWELL</span></b></div>
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Hi all! I'm Jaime Powell! I've been married to my husband going on eleven years now. We have a kitty named Spice, and I have lived in Texas my whole life. I currently hold a Nail Technicians license from the Texas Cosmetology Commission, and worked as a Nail Tech in my hometown for ten years. I also hold a degree in Criminal Justice. I'm currently seeking representation for my YA Paranormal Fantasy Novel and my Adult Paranormal novel. And I'm currently working on my third manuscript, which will be an Adult comedy romance<br />
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<b>What is your main genre of writing?</b><br />
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I write in three genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, and Romance.<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? </b><br />
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I can usually write anywhere as long as I am home, and I tend to do a lot of multi-tasking. For instance, I am currently on my couch (despite having my own writing studio) filling this out, doing a last read-through of my novel, and watching Sherlock Holmes. And, I may or may not be thinking of doing the dishes in a moment. :) I *do* however insist on having either a glass of homemade sweet tea or a cup of coffee at my side while I write. Also, my tablet, phone, and a pen & paper are always in arms reach. One must internet-surf from time to time. I promise it's not because I check my twitter constantly. *smiles innocently*<br />
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While actually writing the first draft of a novel I listen to music that can inspire the specific scene I'm working on. For instance, anytime I wrote a scene where my main character had to be particularly tough-minded I played the song 'Serpents' by Sharon Van Etten.<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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I'm a big fan of the old fashion pen & paper. I keep numerous notebooks. First, I make a pitch for the book I want to write (much like one makes a tweet pitch for PitMad). Then I expand and expand and expand until I have a few pages of notes. Then I prepare a page for each of my main characters - their looks, personalities, what they will bring to the story, what's in it for them, etc. Soon after, I prepare certain scenes I want to see in my manuscript and write out a rough draft of them. And really, from there, the story takes on a life of its own. </div>
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do?</b><br />
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I can't say I have been in this predicament before. Lol. I suppose if it was a rather grand idea I would find a place to pull over and type it into the notepad on my phone. Can't let that little bugger get away now can we?<br />
<b><br /></b><b>When do your best ideas come to you? And what are your best brainstorming times?</b><br />
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Honestly, it never fails, my head hits the pillow and the ideas come like ninjas in the night! I can't escape it. Sometimes I am up writing until 4:00 a.m. and still, once I go to bed all my best ideas come to me. Perhaps because I am not concentrating so hard on them anymore.<br />
<b><br /><br />When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b><br />
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Definitely. When that time comes I want to edit by hand. I don't see how some people are able to edit via computer. I do way too much flip flopping between pages. I print out the rough draft and grab a handful of red pens and I mark that book up like it's my own personal canvas! The more red ink the better. Once it comes time to revise, I sit back down in front of the computer with my marked up manuscript.<br />
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<b>Who inspires you?</b><br />
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Other hopeful writers, hands down! I began writing because I enjoyed it but the writers I have met along the way that are in the same place I am give me the most hope. I've never met a group so enthusiastic about wanting one another to succeed. They keep me going. And I hope I help to keep some of them going as well.</div>
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write? (or what keeps you motivated?)</b><br />
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There are so many reasons but mostly for me, it's an escape. Just as reading is. It relaxes me and I get to be part of a world that I created. I think we all need that - the escape from reality once in a while. <br />
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<b>Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what did you do to get past this hump?</b><br />
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Absolutely. I think we all have those "Why am I even bothering?" days. And when that day comes I take a step back. I take a day or two not to write. You can't get to a point where you burn yourself out because that's the day writing becomes something you "have" to do rather than something you "want" to do. After a day or two of not writing I inevitably begin to miss it. So then I begin again.<br />
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<b>Have you ever had “writer’s block?” How did you get past this?</b><br />
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Of course. If it's with a current manuscript, a lot of times, this is when I seek the help of other writers. But if it's with starting a new novel, I simply ask myself "What would I want to *read* about?" Or "What do I have a knowledge of that I could share with the world?" And then the ideas start to come.</div>
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<b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing?</b><br />
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I believe it was Stephan King who says the difference between writers and those who want to be writers is that writers *write*. They don't wait for 'inspiration' to hit. If you are in your rough draft phase it really doesn't matter what words you put down. Get in there and just do it. A rhythm will ensue, I assure you. And editing away all the nonsense comes later. If you can't bring yourself to write your own novel everyday then find something else to do that is related. Offer to critique a chapter for someone who is struggling. Blog. Do something. It will open the flood gates.</div>
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Want more Jaime?? Check her out on these networks!<br />
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<a href="https://writerjwpowell.wordpress.com/">Jaime's Blog</a><br />
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-74674991111089963852016-03-16T17:00:00.000-04:002016-03-16T17:00:10.332-04:00Katie Bucklein<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">KATIE BUCKLEIN</span></b></div>
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Katie Bucklein started writing at the age of twelve, when a girl challenged her to a dare: who could finish writing a novel first? Spoiler: Katie won, and has since written contemporary, historical fiction, and dystopian, but found fantasy to be her true love. Now a student of history at Idaho State University, she spends her days researching stories of past civilizations and people, with an intention to one day be a real life Abigail Chase, and her nights holed up in her writing cave, fueled by music and insomnia.<br />
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<b>What is your main genre of writing?</b><br />
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I write YA/crossover fantasy (think the kind with dragons and swords and war and magic and general badassery). And there’s always a splash (or more) of romance. <br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals? </b><br />
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My writing spot varies. Sometimes I’ll be at my desk—which is a cluttered mess—or I’ll sit on the couch in my room. I think it depends on the scene I’m writing and the time of day. For a fast-paced action scene, I’ll generally sit at my desk so I can be straight-backed and in the zone, while for a softer scene, like a kissing one or a death, I’ll sit on my couch. Or it’ll be completely random because I’ve gotten tired of sitting in one place and need to change it up. <br />
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My routine is definitely that I write best after the sun sets, which doesn’t bode well for my sleep schedule. Most nights, I’m lucky to fall asleep before 2 AM, but I have tried to get more into a routine where I’ll write from when I wake up in the morning until I leave for class. It’s difficult finding a balance between pursuing a writing career and going to college to become a museum curator, but I’ve definitely begun to get the hang of it! <br />
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I most definitely need music on at all times. My friends laugh at how eclectic my tastes are for music, and how I can either listen to the same song on repeat for hours while I’m writing out a scene or writing from a certain character’s perspective, or they can be a variety of songs that change minute by minute. But I absolutely cannot start writing unless I’ve done a few things first: scoured Pinterest for inspiration pictures (settings, clothing, characters, etc.), watched movie trailers or book trailers to get myself into the right frame of mind, and closed all tabs other than YouTube, where I have my playlists. Twitter and Tumblr can distract me for all hours, and that doesn’t bode well for writing. :)<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas? </b><br />
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Nine times out of ten, when I’m writing one manuscript, I have at least three brewing in the back of my mind. I find that the longer the ideas stay in my head, the stronger they are by the time I turn my focus to them. But once I’ve decided on which idea I’m going to focus on, I do several things. <br />
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First, I work on the world my story is set in. Since I write fantasy set in worlds other than our own, this generally involves sketching out a map, naming countries/kingdoms/realms as well as creating the geography of the world. Then I’ll start brainstorming the culture and rules of the world: is there magic; who rules the kingdoms or countries; who is at war with whom; what is the religion of the world; what are the common sayings; how do the people dress; what are the methods of travel. When I have ideas, the world always comes along mostly formed. It’s just digging into the world and learning its secrets that take up a bit of time, and I’m always flexible. For me, nothing is set in stone, since I’ll often discover things while I write. <br />
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After the world is figured out, I’ll turn to my characters. They’re always what come first when the idea begins to form, but what I do is probably a bit different from what other writers do. I find that when I write out descriptions of characters <i>before </i>I start writing, it rarely works out for the best. I have to go into the draft not knowing what my characters look like, how they talk, what their personality is. I may have a vague idea, but nothing concrete before I start drafting. My characters guide and control me more than I guide and control them. <br />
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Next, I write up a query-style summary of the book. (Yup, I’m agented and still write queries. Clearly I’m crazy.) This allows me to streamline my thoughts and dig out the heart of the story. Once that’s written up, I’ll work on a Seven Point Plot Structure of the story. If I have more than one point of view, I’ll write out one of the plot structures for each of the points of view, which helps me figure out the beginning, middle, and end, and all the major plot points in between. After that, I’ll let the story sit in my head for a week or so while I think up scenes, lines characters will say, work on the world a bit more, or scour Pinterest for inspirational pictures. <br />
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Then comes the fun part…the outline. <br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work? </b><br />
For the most part, I outline my books. My outlines are always flexible because sometimes characters take the reins while I’m writing. It sometimes frustrates me, but I always let them. If I try to force them to do a certain thing simply because it’s written in my outline, the words feel forced and wrong, and I end up losing days or weeks of writing and wasting countless words. <br />
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My outlines are pretty simple, though. You know how in school you were forced to write out bullet point outlines of your essays? That’s exactly what I do for my stories: bullet point outlines that can stretch on for ten pages or more. And they’re always handwritten. I can’t do any plot-building, world-building, or character-sketching on my laptop. It doesn’t flow as well as it does when I write it all out by hand. <br />
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<b><br />When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process? </b><br />
I do. As soon as I write The End on my first draft, I close it and forget about it for a week, simply because I’m a method writer, and getting into my characters’ heads requires me to tap into my own emotions and thoughts. That can be hard to get out of when I’m in the heat of writing, so I always have to take time away to let those emotions fade. If the emotions are still hot, I can’t kill my darlings. <br />
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Then I’ll create a new document titled “draft two” and read through the entire manuscript from front to back, taking notes on what I think needs work, and doing a bit of line editing if I happen to see anything glaring. Draft three is where I focus on my notes, revising and editing as best I can. Draft four is where I focus entirely on line-editing and cutting word count (my drafts are always crazy long—for example, the manuscript I recently finished drafting is sitting at 119,000 words). Draft five is what gets sent to my first group of critique partners. By the time I finally deem the manuscript as finished as I can get it, I’m near draft seven or eight. Then it would be off to my agent. <br />
<b><br /><br />And most importantly: why do you write? (or what keeps you motivated?) </b>Writing is my outlet, my therapy. It’s where I go to get emotions and thoughts out of my head, or to fix problems that I am facing and not sure how to solve. If I can fix the problems for my characters, I feel better in my personal life. <br />
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I also write with the dream of one day impacting readers. I’ve often said that if I can even reach one reader, I’ll have accomplished something not everyone does. I want readers to look at my characters and find hope and strength, the way that I do with my own or with certain other characters from books I love. If one of my characters helps a reader overcome a hardship, or understand they’re not alone, or find the strength to keep on fighting whatever it is they’re facing in life, I think I’d cry happy-tears for the rest of my life (and I’m not a crier). <br />
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<b><br />Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what did you do to get past this hump? </b><br />
I definitely feel discouraged sometimes. When I was in Pitch Wars as a mentee back in 2013, I was still learning how to write, still figuring out what works and what doesn’t. That was the first time I was truly writing with the hope of getting published. But after PW, while I was querying that manuscript, I fell into a horrible, nine month long writer’s block. I couldn’t make any story stick, no matter how many I started. And during that time, I was terrified I would never be able to write again. Writing had been my refuge since I was twelve years old, and I was so worried that I had lost a bit of myself when I couldn’t make the words come. <br />
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Luckily, that writer’s block ended in September of 2014 when I started drafting the manuscript that would get me my agent four months later. And even now that I’m agented, I still feel discouraged sometimes. What if my books never match up to my agent’s expectations? What if my books never make it any further than this? What if I will never be published? What if my books aren’t marketable? What if someone accuses me of copycatting another author? And so on and so forth. The questions are truly endless, and sometimes they’re rather silly (like that last one). No matter what part of the road you’re on, doubt is never far away. <br />
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But what helps me keep writing is something my best friend said to me: “write the books for you and for me and forget everyone else.” And that right there is what keeps me going. If I let all those plaguing questions into my head, I would never write another day of my life. <br />
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To have a successful writing career, you need to write for you, and maybe a few close friends. Not because you think it’s a great way to make money (and it really isn’t, unless you’re a huge name like Stephen King or JK Rowling, and even they had to start somewhere, right?). Or because you want to be famous. Or any other reason that isn’t always guaranteed. You need to write because it is an endless burn inside you, and the only way to keep it from consuming you is to get those words out on the page. And so when I keep that order from my best friend in my head, the words keep coming. <br />
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In the end, I’m writing for me. <br />
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<b>Want more Katie? Check her out on these social networking sites!</b></div>
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Blog: <a href="http://katiebucklein.blogspot.com/">http://katiebucklein.blogspot.com/</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/ktbucklein">https://twitter.com/ktbucklein</a><br />
Pinterest: <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/triggerkat/">https://www.pinterest.com/triggerkat/</a><br />
Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/ktbucklein/">https://instagram.com/ktbucklein/</a><br />
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-45046365035523826112016-03-02T17:00:00.000-05:002016-03-02T17:00:13.377-05:00Nancy Christie<div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>NANCY CHRISTIE</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nancy Christie is a professional writer, whose credits
include both fiction and non-fiction. In addition to her fiction collection, <b><i>Traveling
Left of Center and Other Stories</i></b> and two short story e-books, <b><i>Annabelle</i></b>
and <b><i>Alice
in Wonderland</i></b> (all published by Pixel Hall Press), her stories have
also appeared in literary publications such as Wild Violet, EWR: Short Stories,
Hypertext, Full of Crow, Fiction365, Red Fez, and The Chaffin Journal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Her inspirational book, <b><i>The Gifts of Change</i></b> (Beyond
Words/Atria), encourages readers to take a closer look at how they deal with the
inevitability of change and ways in which they can use change to gain a new
perspective, re-evaluate their goals and reconsider their options. Since its
release in 2004, it has also been published in three foreign editions: Turkish,
Korean and English Indian. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Currently Christie is working on several book projects,
including a second collection, a novel and a book for writers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Christie is the founder of “Celebrate Short Fiction” Day,
and a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and Short
Fiction Writers Guild (SFWG). She also hosts the monthly Monday Night Writers
group in Canfield, OH. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Christie is available for speaking engagements, book club
visits and workshops. For more information, go to the Workshops tab on her
website: <a href="http://www.nancychristie.com/workshops/">www.nancychristie.com/workshops/</a> or contact her at 330-793-3675 or by
email to <a href="mailto:nancy@nancychristie.com">nancy@nancychristie.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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What is your main genre/field of writing?</b><br />
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Fiction is my main field -- or, as I like to say, my “drug of choice.” It encompasses two genres: literary for the short stories (such as in my current book, <a href="http://www.nancychristie.com/books/traveling/">Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories</a>) and mainstream for the (as yet!) unpublished novels. <br />
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I also have one book, <a href="http://www.nancychristie.com/books/gifts/">The Gifts of Change</a>, that is in the nonfiction (inspirational/self-help) category, and a few other non-fiction projects that are in the early stages. But if I had to pick where my heart is, it would be fiction!<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals?</b><br />
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Since I write for a living as well as for love, I have learned that I need to make my “love writing” first on the list or else the client deadlines take over. I set aside thirty minutes a day for my fiction -- either writing new pieces, editing ones I have written, or submitting to agents or literary magazines. Right now I am juggling three novels (one that is being shopped, one that has been through the beta-reader process and needs edited, and one that is in first-draft stage), work on my second fiction collection and developing new short stories. <br />
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I wish I had more time but even thirty minutes a day is better than no minutes a day!<br />
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Most of my writing is done early in the morning around five a.m. in my office with a second cup of coffee. I write on the computer because I can type faster than I can write and I hate transcribing! <br />
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I prefer silence when I am first-draft writing, but when I am editing, I might play music. But I usually get so involved in what I am doing that I don’t hear the music anyway!<br />
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After I get my thirty minutes in, I usually go for my run, and often that is when I figure out how to handle any story issues that have been driving me nuts. <br />
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That being said, I am, in a sense, always writing. I see people interacting at a store or an airport, I overhear bits of conversation, I read a news story, and the writer part of my brain snatches it like a magpie and from there a story starts.<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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For short fiction, I just start writing, generally opening with dialogue. For novels, I am still struggling with organizing all the myriad facts and details. Right now, I am creating an outline after the fact --more like a synopsis of each chapter with dates and details noted down so I don’t have to hunt through the entire manuscript to find out when something occurred. It’s not a perfect system by any means! <br />
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<b>When do your best ideas come to you? What are your best brainstorming times?</b><br />
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First thing in the morning is my best writing time, but ideas can show up anytime -- and more often than not, at times when I don’t have a pen and paper handy so I have to remember them!</div>
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do?</b><br />
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Stop myself before I go further than the first paragraph since I can write in my head pretty easily. Then, I might grab my phone and record my idea, or stop somewhere and write it down. I know darned well if I don’t do one or both, I will end up at my destination, thinking “What was that idea I had?”</div>
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b><br />
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I just start writing, and especially with the short fiction, often have no idea how it will turn out or what details will emerge. Once I get the first draft done, then I start the second round, renaming the piece V2, V3 and so on. I never overwrite a file because there is always the chance that there may be some little bit that I want to keep. Some of my short pieces have gone through fifteen or so versions!<br />
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b><br />
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I can be pretty brutal with myself. I look first for errors or inconsistencies. Then, I look for words and phrases that I like so much that they show up everywhere and way too often!<br />
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Then, I focus on actual content. <br />
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Oh yes, I have been told that I am far too fond of em-dashes, so I try to reduce my use of them as well!</div>
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<b>Do you think your genre of writing informs your process?</b><br />
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Yes. For fiction, it is just writing as it comes. But when I do non-fiction (whether for books or for client projects), I am far more structured and work with an outline to make certain I cover the main points in a way that makes good sense. </div>
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<b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing?</b></div>
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Step away from the computer (or paper)! Sometimes, the longer you sit there, the more stuck you get. Do something physical: mow the lawn, run the sweeper, go for a walk. Often, that is just enough to resolve the issue.<br />
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You can also try what I call “jump-starts”: writing prompts that are intended to get your writer’s engine warmed up. I post a new jump-start each week on my Focus on Fiction blog (<a href="http://www.nancychristie.com/focusonfiction/">http://www.nancychristie.com/focusonfiction/</a>) and invite writers to use the prompt as a way to get into writing mode.<br />
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<b>Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what do you do to get past this hump?</b><br />
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All the time. I feel discouraged when stories come back, when I can’t get them to read the way I hoped, when my agent search is less than successful, when my sales numbers aren’t as high as I would like. But since writing is the one thing I love best to do and would do even if no one read anything I wrote, I realize that all the rest of it is just part of the game and my job is to keep writing. And since I don’t know how not to write, I just do it.<br />
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<b>Have you ever had “writer’s block?” How did you get past this?</b><br />
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I stop writing and just let my brain go into daydream mode and often something results that has nothing to do with the project at hand. I have so many pieces in various stages that if one isn’t working, I can shelve it and go to another than needs editing. But I don’t stop writing entirely. I have learned the hard way that if I do that, it is very difficult to return to it.<br />
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And I don’t only do editing. I have to write something new, even if it’s just the start of a piece, because otherwise I start worrying that the last new thing I wrote is the last new thing I will ever write!<br />
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<b>Nancy would also like to share...</b><br />
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If there is a writer whom you admire, take the time to send that person a letter or email expressing your admiration. It means so much to those of us who write to hear from readers. <br />
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And if you want to write but are letting your own fears or comments from others stop you, today is the day when you shut them all down and just start writing. Don’t think about success or publication or any other outcomes. <br />
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The process is your focus, the piece is your goal. Anything else is just extra!</div>
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<b>Want more Nancy?? Check out TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER below!</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXDwhLXx5AVbb-Mt-VGVxMaPQ8CNApH6lv8aYUnteRAwOSDW2OkdXzxg285juOHl3DEQCNjypqs4gjQzCegNvzhszxFA9MplsrZYHUQm9DwJdeq6bPG0hHsx0gsjrFvu_N_tzO68Un6hyphenhyphen/s1600/TLOC-book-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXDwhLXx5AVbb-Mt-VGVxMaPQ8CNApH6lv8aYUnteRAwOSDW2OkdXzxg285juOHl3DEQCNjypqs4gjQzCegNvzhszxFA9MplsrZYHUQm9DwJdeq6bPG0hHsx0gsjrFvu_N_tzO68Un6hyphenhyphen/s320/TLOC-book-cover.jpg" width="211" /></a>There
are some people who, whether by accident or design, find themselves traveling
left of center. Unable or unwilling to seize control over their lives, they
allow fate to dictate the path they take—often with disastrous results.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Traveling
Left of Center and Other Stories</i></b>
details characters in life situations for which they are emotionally or
mentally unprepared. Their methods of coping range from the passive (“The
Healer”) and the aggressive (“The Clock”) to the humorous (“Traveling Left of
Center”) and hopeful (“Skating on Thin Ice”).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
eighteen stories in <b><i>Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories</i></b> depict those types
of situations, from the close calls to the disastrous. Not all the stories have
happy endings—like life, sometimes things work out and sometimes they don’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In
these stories, the characters’ choices—or non-choices—are their own. But the
outcomes may not be what they anticipated or desired. Will they have time to
correct their course or will they crash?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Purchase Nancy’s Books here!</b><br />
Amazon: Traveling Left of Center: <a href="http://amzn.to/1Sp3bgh">http://amzn.to/1Sp3bgh</a><br />
Amazon: Alice in Wonderland: <a href="http://amzn.to/1Qxz8RD">http://amzn.to/1Qxz8RD</a><br />
Amazon: Annbelle: <a href="http://amzn.to/1KfLoXn">http://amzn.to/1KfLoXn</a><br />
Amazon: Gift of Change: <a href="http://amzn.to/1P2hi6t">http://amzn.to/1P2hi6t</a><br />
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<b>Check out Nancy on the web in these locations!</b><br />
Website: <a href="http://www.nancychristie.com/">http://www.nancychristie.com/</a></div>
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Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nancychristie.writer">https://www.facebook.com/nancychristie.writer</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/NChristie_OH">@NChristie_OH </a><br />
Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22400036-traveling-left-of-center">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22400036-traveling-left-of-center</a><br />
Google+: <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NancyChristiewriter">https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NancyChristiewriter</a><br />
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LibraryThing: <a href="http://www.librarything.com/author/christienancy-2">http://www.librarything.com/author/christienancy-2</a><br />
Simon & Schuster: <a href="http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Nancy-Christie/41127232">http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Nancy-Christie/41127232</a><br />
Beyond Words: <a href="http://www.beyondword.com/authors/Nancy_Christie">http://www.beyondword.com/authors/Nancy_Christie</a><br />
Pixel Hall Press: <a href="http://pixelhallpress.com/">http://pixelhallpress.com/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.plaintalkbm.com/other-stories/">And follow the Blog Tour here!</a>J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-79910098760669900882016-02-24T17:00:00.000-05:002016-02-24T17:05:16.447-05:00Misty Provencher <div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CSvGEYUxwrLjvHW_wJazcxhymXiYSAAlR3EYiHdNdBwze0X5KfJPJIvkLo4sXp8t7cT9jpX_I3tmoB_eXarEwEmbsW8CkJFEh5jU5me5okq6gXFRc4kMxueMmy4jHmEDt4bjHqaKPWDV/s1600/L+Photo+Op.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CSvGEYUxwrLjvHW_wJazcxhymXiYSAAlR3EYiHdNdBwze0X5KfJPJIvkLo4sXp8t7cT9jpX_I3tmoB_eXarEwEmbsW8CkJFEh5jU5me5okq6gXFRc4kMxueMmy4jHmEDt4bjHqaKPWDV/s320/L+Photo+Op.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">MISTY PROVENCHER</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Misty Provencher is a prolific author, long-term wife and mama. The second two are a bit more recent, but Provencher’s writing roots date back to the hieroglyphics she left in her mother’s womb.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While Provencher can ride a motorcycle, knows how to Karate chop, and has learned enough French, Spanish, and Sign Language to get herself slapped, Misty’s life is dedicated to connecting with the people who cross her path. She is totally enchanted with them and spends her days trying to translate the soul bouquets of her everyday muses into words.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Misty Provencher writes for teens, new adults, and adults. Her genres include: fantasy, paranormal, Sci-Fi, contemporary romance, and erotica. A little something for everyone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Misty Provencher lives in the Mitten. Knock on her internet blog door at <a href="http://mistyprovencherauthor.com/">mistyprovencherauthor.com</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you so much for having me over to hang out on your blog, Jackie! I’ll do my best to answer your questions in a way that will not induce yawning. Unless you’re yawning now. That would be because I said yawning. And now I’m yawning. Sigh</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is/are your main genre/field of writing?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Trying to pin me down early, are you? Oh, I’m wily when it comes to genre. I write YA, NA, Adult and I’ve put out contemporary romance, paranormal fantasy, Sci-Fi, urban fantasy, and erotica. Diversity is the spice of life.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals? </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I write all over the place. My favorite places are: my rocking chair, the kitchen table, my desk downstairs, my treadmill desk, coffee shops…wherever I can, I write. I’ve got a coffee table, beside my rocking chair, with a lower level that houses boxes of supplies, cans of pens and highlighters, all sorts of goodies. I’ve also got a black box with handles and big, pink daisies on it that serves as a portable den of supplies. That way, I can move around and still have my sticky notes and headphones and pens and paperclips with me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I write every day, but I’m mega flexible, because it’s summer and my kids are on the move. I write whenever they don’t need me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Silence to write is best, unless my home zoo is in full swing. Then, it’s headphones and my Spotify playlists to drown out the lovely chaos. When the kids are in school, I usually start my day with a shower and my Ipod playlist (matching the one on Spotify). I listen to it over and over until I go into a zombie trance and start tapping the keyboard. Hahaha.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Good ‘n Plenty candies are my vice, but I’ve recently switched to drinking tea and water with a few strawberries doing the backstroke in it.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I stumbled on a great thing that works for me. I collect index cards of ideas in my purse. Just thoughts or names or scene ideas- whatever comes to me. I’m usually doing this while I’m finishing writing something else. It’s all about play at the card stage. I collect photos on Pinterest too, so I’ve got visuals. That kind of thing really gets me going.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I’m ready to begin the project, I lay out the cards and see what I’ve got. By that time, I’ve collected enough and been thinking on it so much, it’s usually a full fledge story. The cards help me organize it. I write it out in a synopsis-paragraphy-type outline and then, I start writing.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">When do your best ideas come to you? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The ideas I’ve made into books have come from all directions: dreams, conversations, key notes, newspaper stories…everywhere. My favorite brainstorming times usually come when I speak to my mom. She’s magical.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wMXD9tcOVmB4wQ1tS6NXo1z4DVk9LKNqAGn9D_e7trXGZRry2G99CPF3pEjx7uTxxsQg0YSjBKoypmhn9wpycZkXe6H038epdsMcsIZ398Dze1HVMRHlNOn6_3PzshlGf_fKzOqflKt1/s1600/THE+NEW+CORNERSTONE+BOO+YAH3+copy+copy+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wMXD9tcOVmB4wQ1tS6NXo1z4DVk9LKNqAGn9D_e7trXGZRry2G99CPF3pEjx7uTxxsQg0YSjBKoypmhn9wpycZkXe6H038epdsMcsIZ398Dze1HVMRHlNOn6_3PzshlGf_fKzOqflKt1/s320/THE+NEW+CORNERSTONE+BOO+YAH3+copy+copy+copy.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Cornerstone Series</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">#1 on Amazon in two different years</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Panic. And take copious notes.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m all over linear scenes. I found out early that when I wrote scenes out of order, I ended up scrapping most of my great scenes because working them around to fit usually ruins them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I outline down to the underpants for the complicated stories. I know the names and faces, the direction, even the errant booger hanging out of my hero’s nose. And even with all my preparation, there are still surprises, changes and plot twists. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have one file, but notes? I would liken my notes to a herd of savage hamsters. They’re everywhere and sometimes I find them after they’ve long expired.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes. Good ‘n Plenty candy. It’s the building block of revisions, as they put me in a good mood to begin. After that, I start at the beginning and work my way through to the end. I’m a fan of reading aloud.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbl4vutUDFOsG1P_QvRRUPRKLyGAVDV-bic7pWHTVCj5NWOyAXp_9m_053CkocJazDJAkrJvNb2OxNZNWQesxMIx51DLihzfZyk4tzHJxl70J_TePM6GNNpqIayJz1koS6x6OY55tpdNN/s1600/GENERAL+The+Dimension+Thieves+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbl4vutUDFOsG1P_QvRRUPRKLyGAVDV-bic7pWHTVCj5NWOyAXp_9m_053CkocJazDJAkrJvNb2OxNZNWQesxMIx51DLihzfZyk4tzHJxl70J_TePM6GNNpqIayJz1koS6x6OY55tpdNN/s320/GENERAL+The+Dimension+Thieves+Cover.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Dimension Series</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nominated Serial of the Year, 2015</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you write multiple forms/genres, would you be willing to talk about how process may differ between them?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My fantasy/Sci-fi stuff usually gets muy complicated, so plotting works great. But, my contemporary and/or erotic romances are much more pantsy for me. I always know where I am going, but the romances are much more free flowing, because it’s all about building the relationship, rather than making sure I dot the i’s in a complicated, world building landscape.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">What inspires you to write? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Understanding. I want so badly for people to understand each other and stand in one another’s shoes.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">And most importantly: why do you write?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Without writing, I’d lose a hunk of identity that I prefer to keep. That’s probably why I do it- because I was told I was good at it from a young age and it became the thing that was pleasing and with which I could make a living.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What keeps me motivated is that I can tell myself a story and escape into an adventure that I would otherwise never experience. I am a Hobbit by nature. I don’t stray far from home, I love the comforts of my house, I am a dedicated person. Writing is a way for me to live other people’s lives and understand them and enjoy the contrast.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you do this as a job, you don’t get stuck. I can’t afford to. I sit down every day and I write. Some days it might suck eggs and some days it might be brilliant, but I’ve found that how easy or hard it comes doesn’t always predict how good the writing is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u><i>Books by Misty Provencher</i></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>THE CORNERSTONE SERIES</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span> </span></div>
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<i><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">(#1 on Amazon in two different years)</span></b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cornerstone, Keystone, Jamb, Capstone</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Young Adult, 4 books in complete series)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>CROSSED & BARED SERIES</b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hale Maree, Full of Grace </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(New Adult, Contemporary Romance)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>THE DIMENSION SERIES</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>(Nominated Serial of the Year, 2015)</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Dimension Thieves 1-12</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Clean, Commercial serial shorts, Time Travel Fantasy)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>STRONGER</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(Adult, Women's Fiction)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>MERCY, A GARGOYLE STORY</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Young Adult, Dark Urban Fantasy</span>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>THE FLY HOUSE</b> </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>(Nominated Best Sci-Fi of the Year, 2014)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(Adult, Fantasy)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>THE BROWN BAG SERIES</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">THE RELEASE CLUB #1, #2, #3 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> (Adult serial shorts, Erotic Romance)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Available in paperback and ebook at:</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cornerstone-1-Misty-Provencher/dp/1467943401/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322871706&sr=1-2" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> </b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Cornerstone-by-Misty-Provencher?keyword=Cornerstone+by+Misty+Provencher&store=allproducts" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> </b></span><b style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/author/misty-provencher/id485971914?mt=11">iBooks</a> </b></span></div>
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<b style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/102981" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Smashwords</a> <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=Misty%20Provencher%20&ac=1&acp=misty%20prov">Kobo</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Want More Misty?? </b><b>Check her out on the Web in these fine locations!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">WEBSITE: <a href="http://mistyprovencherauthor.com/">mistyprovencherauthor.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">BLOG: <a href="http://mistypro.blogspot.com/">mistypro.blogspot.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">FACEBOOK: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/misty.provencher3?ref=tn_tnmn">www.facebook.com/misty.provencher3</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">TWITTER: <a href="https://twitter.com/mistyprovencher">https://twitter.com/mistyprovencher</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">PINTEREST: <a href="http://pinterest.com/mistyprovencher/">http://pinterest.com/mistyprovencher/</a></span><br />
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-89955707322249776372016-02-18T17:00:00.000-05:002016-02-18T17:38:14.067-05:00June Hardison<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">JUNE HARDISON</span></b></div>
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June grew up in southeastern New Mexico playing sports and reading books. Married with two boys, she is having a blast watching those two boys grow up into men. Her time is mainly spent with family and helping others through her job with working with special education students. She feels blessed to be able to share stories that entertain and inspire.<br />
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<b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing?</b><br />
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The main areas I am interested in writing in right now are the areas of Young Adult, Fiction, and Children. However, I am open to writing in the area of Non-Fiction in the future and possibly Romance. I’ve also just recently gotten an idea for a children’s mystery. New ideas are coming to me all the time, so I don’t want to say that I am an author of one genre yet.<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? </b><br />
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When I am writing, I love to go to our public library and sit among the stacks. I feel inspired by having all of those books around me. Most of the time, I just write when I have a chance. I work full time, so I might write during my lunch break, at night, or on the road to one of my kids’ games. I just write when I get a chance. J Sometimes I like to listen to music when I’m writing, and sometimes I just like quiet. It depends on the scene totally. If I’m listening to music, I try to pick a song that goes along with the scene. The song might be from the 1980s or right now, it just depends. I always have my notebook with me though. It has my ideas, notes on characters (so I stay true to them), and anything crazy I might have thought of in the middle of the night.<br />
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This is going to sound weird, but before I started writing at the library, I would get my laptop and sit in the corner of the living room behind a chair. I loved the feeling of being secluded and in my “own little world”. <br />
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As I am writing, I have a tendency to check out and go to my “movie” viewing mode. I shut out the outside world and I start to view the scenes I am writing as if I am reporting what I am seeing in a movie. This is why I have to be careful of the time when I write, because I can get lost in the story and totally ignore the world around me, a.k.a. my family.<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas? </b><br />
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When I get an idea, I start off with the characters. What do they look like? What is their personality like? How do the react to different situations? What is their language like? I then go to setting and start doing research. Maybe the story takes place in a location I’ve never been. What is the history and details of that location?<br />
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Right now, I keep all of my notes in a notebook. I carry this notebook in my purse, that way I can work on it throughout the day. Anytime an idea comes to me, no matter how crazy it may sound, I write it down. Sometimes I use it, and sometimes I don’t. <br />
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In the future, I might also start using the Scrivener software. I’ve seen that many authors are using it when writing and it makes organizational sense to me.</div>
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<b>Do you think your genre of writing informs your process? </b></div>
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The Long Walk came from an incident that happened years ago initially and then built through experiences over the years with our disabled population. The type of writing I have chosen for this story I think does achieve what I would like it to. </div>
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<b>How does your writing process differ between genre?</b></div>
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I’ve written this novel and many children’s stories. I hope to push those stories out in the near future. My process is a bit different for these two genres because of the amount of content contained. The novel required much more organization of thought and time of course and research. With the children’s stories, I would think of an idea and just write the story. Most of these pieces are meant as picture books, so I am thinking of what picture would go along with what text as I write. I’m also thinking of how much descriptive language is need because of the pictures. For the novel, you also need to look at descriptive language needs without it being overly descriptive and taking away from the story. Language level, and flow of story from beginning to end are also basic musts. <br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work? </b></div>
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First I segment the story into beginning, middle, and end. I then divide it into chapters. I also write out in-depth analysis of characters. These serve as my outline. It makes the story flow better. It’s crazy, though, because there always ends up being some variance from the chapter outline. It’s interesting that as you work with the characters, the story evolves through them and sometimes things you never thought of before come out. </div>
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<b>When do your best ideas come to you?</b> </div>
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The best ideas come when I just stop and observe the world around me. Watching people is the best. I like to watch strangers (sounds creepy) and imagine what their story is. What experiences have they had? Where did they come from? Is their story a happy one or full of drama and heartache? I like to write down character sketches and then ask, “What if”.<br />
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Ideas can come when you least expect it, like the shower, or during your son’s baseball practice. It’s crazy. You just have to remember to write them down. Sometimes the ideas simmer for a while and sometimes a story comes right away. </div>
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do?</b></div>
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I pull out my notebook and jot down some notes, or I get my phone out and record my thoughts. </div>
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process? </b></div>
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Revising and editing is so fun. Not! But, it is necessary. The hard part of revising/editing is knowing when to stop. With The Long Walk, I had another author critique as well as different family members and myself read the manuscript to find errors. I came to a point, though, where I felt, is this story even good? I had read it so many times and revised scenes, etc. So, like I said before, it isn’t a fun process but so important. <br />
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<b>Who/what inspires you?</b><br />
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People inspire me. I know that sounds like a pad answer, but seriously. Everyone has a story.</div>
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<b>Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what did you do to get past this hump? </b></div>
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Of course! You begin to ask yourself if you are just wasting your time and then the self-doubt comes in of “I’m not good enough”, “No one is going to read this story”, and “I’m not a real writer”. The thing to remember is that anytime you are taking part in something worthwhile, you will have resistance. Whether the resistance comes from your own self-doubt and discouragement or from some other outside force. Just remember to persevere. As I was writing this book, there were many times where I had these thoughts. What got me through was encouragement from my family and the thought, “This story needs to be out there and it needs to be heard.” </div>
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<b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing?</b> </div>
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Don’t be afraid to step back and give it a break. Stressing about it never helps. When you get back to it, look at your outline, visualize the scene and let it flow. Initially, if I am coming out of a slump, I try and not worry about correct grammar etc. I just write what words come. I can always go back and fix any errors.<br />
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<b>June would also like to share: </b>Just that I appreciate anyone that takes the time to read this story. It has been a huge blessing to hear comments and read reviews from those that have read it. It has really made a difference to a lot of people. This was always my goal from the beginning, to touch lives. <br />
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<b>Want more June??</b><br />
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Check out June's Inspirational Fiction book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Long-Walk-June-Hardison/dp/1517773601">The Long Walk </a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD62_ZRML83F4CFzRPKlbQPYdG1e2KmUQdsc-PgerBXgFngnDpTuwJXIuSEDt6haOD2TJ9FtLLwiE71mpT7da-9zca-TlXXKVqByjZRpt-rDPMy5cM_6aCjZAQ9iyMBGc_2Q7Ehr0Wa6nS/s1600/Long-walk-banner.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD62_ZRML83F4CFzRPKlbQPYdG1e2KmUQdsc-PgerBXgFngnDpTuwJXIuSEDt6haOD2TJ9FtLLwiE71mpT7da-9zca-TlXXKVqByjZRpt-rDPMy5cM_6aCjZAQ9iyMBGc_2Q7Ehr0Wa6nS/s400/Long-walk-banner.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Donovan Evans, high school baseball standout, has everything going for him, including his ego. Trying to escape the pressures of parents and prospective college coaches, Donovan finds himself arrested and headed towards community service, where he makes an unlikely friend who reminds him of the person he was intended to be. This is a story about an athlete and a multi-disabled young man, and how two people from very different backgrounds can change each other’s life.<br />
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Get your copy at Amazon today!<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Long-Walk-June-Hardison/dp/1517773601">http://www.amazon.com/Long-Walk-June-Hardison/dp/1517773601</a><br />
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<b>Connect with June on these websites below! </b><br />
Website: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/June-Hardison-Author-920327958054914">https://www.facebook.com/June-Hardison-Author-920327958054914</a><br />
Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14420427.June_Hardison">www.goodreads.com/author/show/14420427.June_Hardison</a><br />
Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/June-Hardison/e/B015NUXQ4I/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1">http://www.amazon.com/June-Hardison/e/B015NUXQ4I/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1</a><br />
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And you can follow her tour here: <a href="http://www.plaintalkbm.com/june-hardison/">http://www.plaintalkbm.com/june-hardison/</a></div>
J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-57154687195450935722016-02-16T17:00:00.000-05:002016-02-16T17:00:01.001-05:00Tyffani Clark Kemp<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">TYFFANI CLARK KEMP</span></b></div>
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Tyffani Clark Kemp might be the quietest person in the room, but that just means she's probably the biggest freak too. She is a multi-genre author with a gift for the written word and a desire to help all Indies reach their full potential. In 2012, she and her best friend Kimberly Fudge started SideStreet Cookie Publishing for authors who want to remain independent, but don't have the time or the knowledge to do it all themselves. From the age of eleven she dedicated her life to writing and making sure she was good at her craft. Now, she passes that knowledge on to others. Her friends would describe her as determined and giving. She may be quiet, but she always has a story to tell.</div>
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This is a hard one, as I am a multi-genre author. Everything I write is adult, though. (With the exception of a mature YA series coming in October)<br /><br /><br /><b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals?</b></div>
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I clear my desk, get a glass of ice water/hot tea/hot cocoa/coffee (sometimes I will have three drinks sitting next to me at once), and find some music to fit the tone of what I'm writing. I prefer my Bluetooth headphones so I can move around. I typically will write at my desk. I like the structure of, "I am sitting here at my desk to work." It helps me get into and stay in the frame of mind to work. I write best either very early in the morning before the sun and other people are awake, or late at night after everyone else is asleep. I like to feel alone when I write. No distractions. I will light candles and turn off all other lights when I am deep into a story.<br /> <br /><br /><b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br /><br />I have a notebook with some very crude outlines designed to help me keep my thoughts and extraneous ideas straight. Sometimes my brain will work ahead of where I am writing in a story and I have to have a way to keep track of those thoughts so I don't lose them. It is typically the same for whatever genre I am working in. When I am writing a screenplay, however, it is very different. I write everything out by hand on 3x5 cards first. That way I can rearrange scenes if I need to.<br /><br /><br /><b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b><br /><br />I used to say "beginning, middle, end, and end end." I think my brain still works that way subconsciously, but more often, it is first half and second half any more. Though it changes often. I like to write the way I read. I want to be just as surprised at what happens while I'm writing as my readers will be when they are reading. That's what makes writing fun for me.<br /><div>
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<b>When do your best ideas come to you? </b></div>
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I am always brainstorming. It never ever stops. My best ideas come to me when I don't have time to actually work on them because I am neck-deep in another project that is probably already behind.</div>
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do? </b></div>
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Start talking to myself.</div>
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<br /><b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process? </b></div>
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Not really. I just do it because I hate the editing process. I do it to get it done and then send it off to Beta Readers so I don't have to deal with it for a little while. Haha!<br /><br /> <br /><b>And, most importantly: why do you write? </b></div>
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I write because I can't not write. I am an escapist writer. My work helps me escape everything else for a little while. I write because I love to do it. It's just fun. I write to have adventures and to create adventures for other people to have. I write for the money (Anyone who says otherwise is lying) but I don't write JUST for the money. This is what I do. It is my livelihood and my life and I love it.<br /></div>
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<br /><b>Who/what inspires you? </b></div>
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Everything inspires me. But mostly, I think people who came from nothing and made something of themselves inspire me the most. They give me the strength to hang in and keep going on the days when it feels like nothing is working and everything and everyone is out to get me.<br /></div>
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<br /><b>Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what did you do to get past this hump?</b></div>
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This last year, 2015, was an especially rough year with all of the changes to Amazon and Facebook and what have you. Sales dropped so low I didn't know if they would ever come back. I spent most of the year discouraged, but I knew that if I didn't keep going and figure out how to work around the changes for myself then I was never going to get where I wanted to be. So, I made a plan and I hired an assistant to help keep me on track. By December we'd had our best month since we started.</div>
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<br /><b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing? </b></div>
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Step away. Read. Drink water. Lots and lots of what. Exercise. Have sex. Eat something delicious and filling. Take a nap. Do whatever you need to do to get your mind off of your work. Most likely you're just tired from trying to hard. You need a break, so give yourself one. You deserve it.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">*New Release Alert!!*</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWrIMXjMMii5D6-cx_K1zVsqpzF_wcrLC3Tw25vxXXvxeESMPn7gc7mWDZ4ZKIccwdfHpgawHC3IfXkByUzo7KCYCJVHxfZtXVEaQc5nqAe4KSsjJd2QYslbWK9LsPjYw6kHGaFF4bQ4M/s1600/liesandsnowcladebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFWrIMXjMMii5D6-cx_K1zVsqpzF_wcrLC3Tw25vxXXvxeESMPn7gc7mWDZ4ZKIccwdfHpgawHC3IfXkByUzo7KCYCJVHxfZtXVEaQc5nqAe4KSsjJd2QYslbWK9LsPjYw6kHGaFF4bQ4M/s320/liesandsnowcladebook.jpg" width="216" /></a>My next book, Lies and Snow-Clad Graves, comes out February 16, 2016. It is the sequel to Blood and Shattered Glass, my first attempt at a psychological thriller. There is romance and craziness and I am super excited to finally be getting the second book out. Please check them both out!!</div>
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<b>Want more Tyffani?</b></div>
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Visit her online: <a href="http://www.tyffanickemp.com/">http://www.tyffanickemp.com</a>, and be sure to follow her on these social networking sites below!</div>
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Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorclarkkemp">http://www.facebook.com/authorclarkkemp</a><br />Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/tyffanickemp">http://www.twitter.com/tyffanickemp</a><br />Instagram: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/tyffanickemp14">http://www.instagram.com/tyffanickemp14</a><br /><br /><b>And purchase her books here!</b><br />Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/TyffaniKemp">http://www.amazon.com/author/TyffaniKemp</a></div>
J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-69811554589172880672016-02-10T17:00:00.000-05:002016-02-10T17:00:05.066-05:00Sara Mariah<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>SARA MARIAH</b></div>
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Hey y’all, I’m Sara! I’m a never-before-published writer who lives in Texas at the moment with my family and a veritable ark full of animals, including the handsomest old horse in the world. When I’m not working on one of my writing projects, I can be found riding dressage, dancing, researching some obscure historical/scientific event/figure, drinking copious amounts of sweet tea, and listening to every genre of music under the sun. (Current obsession: ‘40s jazz!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>What is your main genre of writing?</b><br /><br />Right now, my focus is on my urban fantasy manuscript. In the future, though, I’m hoping to branch out to other genres, like high fantasy or contemporary romance. As for age category, NA or Adult all the way (though I miiiiight try YA someday).<br /><br /> <br /><b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals?</b><br /><br />As kooky as it sounds, I have to distance myself from the real world. I listen to music for a while before I write. I actually have these epic studio-quality headphones my dad gave me after he retired that really help me get into the music.<br /><br />Overall, I write best either late at night or crazy early in the morning, but the latter usually comes after a lack of sleep. I’ve also found I do my best writing in my PJs in bed with my fan on high. I’ve always got a collection of drinks by my bed, usually water but sometimes sweet iced tea, Gatorade, or the occasional cup of hot tea or cocoa if it’s really cold out. Staying hydrated is important!<br /><br /> <br /><b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br /><br />I’m a total pantster! If I get an idea that I think I can expand on, I’ll open up a fresh Word document, type out a few sentences to get me started, then open it repeatedly over the next week or so to see if I come up with anything more, or if it was just some fleeting thought. If I end up expanding on it, it gets its own folder on my flash drive and, if it’s a potential novel idea, its own Pinterest board where I start collecting inspiration and research. If not, I delete it.<br /><br />This is where things get interesting. For my urban fantasy series, I did a little location research (it’s based in Europe, primarily Italy), then dove right in. After a few scattered scenes, I came up with a very brief, very rough outline and went from there. The more I got to know my characters, especially my antagonists, the more complex my plot became and the more I would expand or change my outline.<br /><br />I’ve also started the bare bones of a couple NA contemporary romances. Both of those are on the back burner, though, until they get a bit more fleshed out. For one, I’m still getting to know my characters since it’s more character-driven. For the other, I’m still in the research stages. I’ve got the basic plot in mind, but there’re some pretty important technical details I need to know before I really dig in and write.<br /><br />Finally, I’ve just started work on a high fantasy based on ancient Egypt. I’m researching everything related to Egypt that I can, and I’ve bought several books. (I’m pretty sure one is actually a college textbook lol.)<br /><br />For all my projects, I have a catchall Word document where research tidbits, snippets of ideas, short character sketches, and all sorts of other things end up. It’s messy, but I thrive in chaos.<br /><br />Additionally, every project I have has to have a Pinterest board! I’m a very visual person, which means Pinterest is the best way I’ve found to save inspirational images, web sites or blog posts that I can look back on, and infographics specific to my work that I can refer back to. I have a few that are public, like my catchall Short Story Inspiration board, but most are private for now.<br /><br /> <br /><b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b><br /><br />Not at all. Sometimes I’ll outline a scene, other times I’ll make note of the major things that are supposed to happen in it, and yet other times I’ll just go with the flow. The only real structure I have while writing is working in split screen on my laptop. I’m terrible at handwriting my stories (my hand just isn’t fast enough) so I’ll open a couple documents in Word. One is usually my hot mess idea document where I’ll scroll all over to find what I need, and the other is the actual document I write in. It’s scattered, but that’s how my brain works.<br /><br /> <br /><b>When it’s time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b><br /><br />Auto correct! Even on the computer, my fingers have a rough time keeping up with my brain, so if I’m in a serious groove and I misspell something, I’ll skip right over it. First drafts are always riddled with spelling errors. I also tend to edit when I go back to reread bits. I’ll make some things clearer, cut out info dumps, correct improper there/their/they’re uses, things like that. Additionally, if I’ve given my character a name that Word doesn’t automatically recognize, I’ll add it to the dictionary. That helps because a) I don’t have little red squiggles all over the place, and b) if I misspell the name, I can find it. (I did that quite a bit with one character in my urban fantasy, Sergei. He’d end up Sergie half the time.)<br /><br /><br /><b>Most importantly, why do you write?</b><br /><br />I love stories. (Cheesy, I know.) I got my start writing fan fiction back in, like, 2005 because some bad things happened to my favorite character and I was SO not happy. So I fixed it. (And wow, did that story suck lol.) After I finished that hot mess, I moved on to writing my own stories because it was just too much fun. And now I have too many ideas to keep up with.<br /><br /><b><br />Have you ever had “writer’s block?” How did you get past this?</b><br /><br />Oh god. Yes. So much! It’s like a constant thing for me and I hate it. (Maybe it’s just that I’m a newbie and am still learning. Idk.)<br /><br />When I have blocks, I have a series of things I try. I’m a fitness junkie and ex-college athlete, so I’ll grab my dumbbells & ankle weights & head outside for a hard workout. I do yoga and belly dance, as well. I also ride horses, but all I have right now is my retired all-around gelding. (He’s living out his days as a spoiled rotten old man in my pasture.) I also really enjoy going running in the rain, which is weird because I’m TERRIFIED of severe storms. Any of those usually get me out of a block in a day or two.<br /><br /><br /><b>Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what did you do to get past this hump?</b><br /><br />I don’t feel discouraged often, but when I do, it hits hard. The one thing that always pulls me out of it is a piece of advice my mom used to share with her students when we were at horse shows: You’re only paying for one person’s opinion on one day. It needs some rewording to apply to writers, but the concept is still the same. Just because one judge doesn’t like the way I ride or the way my horse moves, or maybe likes how another rider rides or how her horse moves better, doesn’t mean I should quit and give up. And the same goes for writing. There will always be judges who don’t like my horse’s funky canter, just like there will always be readers who don’t like my writing style or my characters or whatever. I can’t let it keep me down, otherwise I’ll never get better.<br /><br /><br /><b>There’s also another piece I’d like to share: </b></div>
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“You can learn something from everyone in the industry, whether it’s how to perform a piaffe, a better way to store brushes, or even just to reinforce knowledge you already had.” That’s why I read all the genres. I don’t dare limit my own potential. :) <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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Want more Sara?!</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>Visit her online: <a href="http://writingdressage.wordpress.com/">writingdressage.wordpress.com</a>, and be sure to follow her on these social networking sites below!</div>
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/saramwrites">https://twitter.com/saramwrites</a><br />Pinterest: <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/saramwrites/">https://www.pinterest.com/saramwrites/</a><br />Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22084648-sara-mariah">https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22084648-sara-mariah</a><br />Blog: <a href="http://writingdressage.wordpress.com/">writingdressage.wordpress.com</a><br /><br /> </div>
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-38179206680230289592016-01-27T17:00:00.000-05:002016-01-27T18:03:40.842-05:00Michelle Madow<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">MICHELLE MADOW</span></b></div>
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Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.</div>
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<b>What is your main genre of writing?</b><div>
<b><br /></b>I write Young Adult (YA) fiction :)<br /> <br /><br /><b>What is your writing routine? </b><div>
<b><br /></b>When I’m drafting, I write between 1,000 - 2,000 words every day, 6 days a week. I usually write around 1,300 words a day, but I make sure that I always at least reach my minimum of 1,000 words. I try not to be too hard on myself while drafting, because it’s only a draft and I can go back and edit it later. But I naturally can’t stop myself from editing as I write, so I don’t draft quite as quickly as I would like! <br /><b><br /></b><div>
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<b><br /></b>I write in my room, on my bed, on my laptop. I need total silence when I write, which means I can’t even listen to music! I’ll have a glass of water next to me when I write, and I don’t eat while I write. <br /> <br /><b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>I ALWAYS outline the entire book before I start writing it! My outlines are very detailed — they’re usually around ten pages, single spaced. Plotting and drafting are very different processes for me, so it’s important that I have all my plotting finished before I begin drafting. By outlining, I never get writers block while drafting, because my outline serves as a map for the draft. <br /> <br /><b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b><br /><br />I have lots of different files — a file for my outline, one for my draft, and then a folder where I keep everything I’ve found online to help with world building. <br /> <br /><b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b><br /><br />I read through carefully and think about places in the book that need improvement. I watch out for places where I rushed during drafting, and fill them in with more details. I also try to dig into the emotions of the characters more while I’m drafting. <br /> <br /><b>And most importantly: why do you write?</b><br /><br />I write because I love it. I have all these story ideas running through my mind, and I’m so humbled that there are people out there who enjoy reading about these characters and plots that I’ve created. So basically — I write for the fans!</div>
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<i>And now, I am so excited to share with you Michelle's newest release, Elementals, The Prophecy of Shadows! Please check it out below and get your copy today!</i></div>
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<b>Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!</b></div>
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When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly ... she's apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her new-found abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers--and, to her dismay, by Blake--the school's notorious bad-boy.</div>
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Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle's wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.</div>
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When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect--it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it's up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town ... and possibly the world.</div>
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<b>Purchase your copy today!</b></div>
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<b>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elementals-Prophecy-Shadows-Michelle-Madow-ebook/dp/B017AFRNM0/ref=la_B005GA8KA6_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449004572&sr=1-8">Amazon </a>| <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/elementals-michelle-madow/1122911520?ean=2940152448849">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/elementals-prophecy-shadows/id1056269174?mt=11">iBookstore</a> | <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/unsupported/ieversiondetected">Kobo </a>]</b></div>
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<i>"Elementals is going to blow your mind!"</i></div>
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-Crossroad Reviews, ★★★★★</div>
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<i>"Five glittery stars for being such a compelling read!"</i></div>
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-Andrea Heltsley, Goodreads Reviewer ★★★★★</div>
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<i>"A perfect mixture of magic and mythology. An entrancing story of trust, friendship and well naughty boys. WITCHES are not the only thing walking the earth!"</i></div>
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- BenjaminOfTomes, BookTuber ★★★★★</div>
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<b>Visit Michelle online: www.michellemadow.com, and be sure to subscribe to her newsletter and follow her on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Madow/e/B005GA8KA6/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1453935360&sr=1-1">Amazon </a>for instant updates on her books!</b></div>
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Follow her on: </div>
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Facebook:<a href="http://facebook.com/michellemadow"> /MichelleMadow</a></div>
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Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/michellemadow">@MichelleMadow</a></div>
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Instagram: <a href="http://instagram.com/michellemadow">@MichelleMadow</a></div>
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Snapchat: MichLMadow</div>
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-82579428709679442092016-01-20T17:00:00.000-05:002016-01-21T10:06:20.796-05:00Nicole S. Chung<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">NICOLE S. CHUNG</span></b></div>
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Nicole S. Chung is the managing editor of <a href="http://the-toast.net/">The Toast</a>. Her essays have appeared in Slate, Salon, TheAtlantic.com, Bitch Magazine, and The New York Times. She really needs an author website if you would maybe like to help her create one...</div>
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What is your main genre/field of writing? </b><br />
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<b><br /></b>So, in college I mostly wrote terrible, unpublished fiction and poetry -- and forty-page history papers -- but ever since I started writing nonfiction in my twenties, that's been my focus. All of my published work is nonfiction. Sometimes I still write terrible unfinished poems and short stories, though, and I dream about writing a not-terrible, finished novel.<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine?</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>About a year ago I bought one of those standing desks (I have <a href="http://www.amazon.com/TECHNI-MOBILI-Cadmus-Mobile-Graphite/dp/B003M96GY0/">this model</a>), and I plant myself in front of it for most of the workday. <br />
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I used to have writing rituals, times of day I liked best, playlists that inspired me -- and then I had children. Now, between kids and my <a href="http://the-toast.net/">day job</a>, my own writing is crammed in at the margins, whenever inspiration strikes (or doesn't). I have absolutely no expectations or standards when it comes to writing time or my work environment -- I have to and do work early in the morning, late at night, with my kids' music blaring, with the TV on, with multiple people interrupting or talking or giggling, with Frozen on in the background for the eight millionth time, or in those rare moments of peace and quiet. I just need time and my computer.<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas, and while writing, do you structure your work any particular way? </b></div>
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<b><br /></b>I'll often jot some notes down before I commit to a topic, before I start writing -- usually these are memories or conversations or just ideas I want to be sure I cover. I don't really outline, except in my head. If it's a piece that relies heavily on, say, research or interview notes, I will read those notes a couple of times before I start writing, so I have an idea of what I want to include and where it should go. I'm not much of a planner when I write, which is a bit funny to me because I'm a hyper-organized type-A Bert sort of person. Writing is one of the few things I do without overthinking, which is one reason why it's good for me, I suppose. </div>
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<b>Who inspires your writing?</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>All the other writers I know -- the ones I met through the writing program, the ones who talk through ideas with me on the phone or over gchat, the amazing and generous women I work with every day, and all of the people who send us beautiful written work to consider. </div>
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<b>When do your best ideas come to you? What are your best brainstorming times?</b></div>
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Often something happens and I just know that I'll write about it eventually -- a moment with my kids, a conversation with my parents, the first time I met my sister. Other times, I'll get an idea while talking with a friend, and even before they say "you should totally write about this!" I'm imagining how I'll do it. Occasionally I'll find myself thinking, "I sure wish someone would send me a piece about ______," and then I'll just write it myself. </div>
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do?</b><br />
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Get my phone, open a draft in Gmail, and write down a few words so I'll remember the idea. If I'm driving, I still do this, but I wait until I'm at a stoplight.</div>
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<b>When it's time to revise your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process? </b></div>
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<b><br /></b>My shameful writing secret is that I find substantial revisions both overwhelming and tedious. My goal is always to make that first draft as strong as possible so I can just fine-tune it -- my first draft usually (though not always) ends up being quite close to my final draft. And yet I have a really hard time letting go of a piece; I could keep going with that fine-tuning forever. If it's something I've written for The Toast, I'm my own editor, which is both wonderful and terrible, because I'll be in the draft making little adjustments right up until it publishes. The only thing that makes me stop is actually scheduling something and letting it post. <br />
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<b>Most importantly: why do you write?</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>To remember, to make sense of things, and to feel less alone. When I publish an essay, I wouldn't say it's really my goal to educate readers, but I am usually looking to explain something about life -- often, my life in particular -- and connect with people in some way. I love those "me too!" comments from people; I love knowing that I've put something out into the world that someone else can learn from or just relate to. That's why I read personal essays; why I adore the form so much and why I also love publishing them -- I love learning what other people are all about, discovering the experiences that shaped them, letting them teach me something I'd never learn otherwise or change my mind about something important. </div>
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<b>Lastly, is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing?</b><br />
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I talk to people. A lot. I seek out thoughtful, opinionated people and ask a lot of questions, and this always gets me thinking, too. I know writing is often a solitary practice, and obviously no one can do the work for you, but an honest, meandering conversation with a friend usually gives me at least one idea I can run with. Even if it's kind of a silly one!<br />
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<b>Want more Nicole??</b></div>
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Follow her on <a href="http://twitter.com/nicole_soojung">twitter</a>!<br />
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<b>Check out some of the amazing interviews Nicole has conducted below!</b></div>
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New York Times interview with <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/magazine/constance-wu-is-making-her-way-in-hollywood.html?_r=0">Constance Wu</a></div>
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<a href="http://the-toast.net/2015/09/02/an-interview-with-celeste-ng/">Celeste Ng</a></div>
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<a href="http://the-toast.net/2015/10/06/rainbow-rowell-carry-on/">Rainbow Rowell</a></div>
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and <a href="http://the-toast.net/2015/07/14/an-interview-with-alexander-chee/">Alexander Chee</a></div>
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<b>Also, here are some links from The Toast:</b></div>
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<a href="http://the-toast.net/2016/01/05/what-goes-through-your-mind-casual-racism/">What Goes Through Your Mind: On Nice Parties and Casual Racism</a></div>
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<a href="http://the-toast.net/2015/01/26/friendship-race/">Friendship and Race and Knowing Your Place</a></div>
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<a href="http://the-toast.net/2014/11/11/race-adoption/">"Did You Ever Mind It?": On Race and Adoption</a><br />
<a href="http://the-toast.net/2015/03/24/john-cho-boyfriend/">If John Cho Were Your Boyfriend</a><br />
<a href="http://the-toast.net/2015/05/20/how-to-tell-if-you-are-in-a-famous-opera/">How to Tell if You are in a Famous Opera</a><br />
<a href="http://the-toast.net/2015/05/11/helen-cho-age-of-ultron-representation/">Helen Cho, Age of Ultron, and Representation Feels</a><br />
<a href="http://the-toast.net/2015/02/18/asian-american-literature-roundtable/">An Asian American Literature Roundtable</a><br />
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<b>And elsewhere:</b><br />
New York Times: <a href="http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/author/nicole-s-chung/">Motherlode</a><br />
At Slate: <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/04/when_an_adoptee_gets_pregnant_the_desire_to_find_her_birth_family_gets_stronger.html">What to Expect When You're Adopted</a><br />
At The Atlantic: <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/06/i-met-my-sister-for-the-first-time-when-i-was-27/277176/">I Met My Sister for the First Time When I Was 27</a></div>
J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-10068053410857332132016-01-13T17:00:00.000-05:002016-01-13T17:00:00.142-05:00Natalie Blitt<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI_LpkqVe3VLv7KoMikoW7gYMaHnkqHLjW5okghKi5Ez16-uAb0GMR7niuHkDljK_8e_I0AW2sIxVx2kkj8uqkAbvU_HNYZyhXEPFsTeq1OdXtALY1j1b0ojBi4OfurmI3z6ouhWcPlZf/s1600/Natalie+Headshot+Final.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI_LpkqVe3VLv7KoMikoW7gYMaHnkqHLjW5okghKi5Ez16-uAb0GMR7niuHkDljK_8e_I0AW2sIxVx2kkj8uqkAbvU_HNYZyhXEPFsTeq1OdXtALY1j1b0ojBi4OfurmI3z6ouhWcPlZf/s320/Natalie+Headshot+Final.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">NATALIE BLITT</span></b></div>
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Originally from
Canada, Natalie Blitt grew up on a steady diet of loyalist adventure stories.
It wasn’t until she moved to Chicago after graduating from McGill and receiving
a journalism degree from the University of King’s College, that she learned
that not everybody sees the loyalists as the heroes. Now living in the
Chicago-area, she dreams up young adult novels of a different sort: more
kissing, less guns, but always a lot of loyalty. Natalie works at an education
think tank and lives with her husband and their three sons. She knows a lot
about baseball. She has no choice.</div>
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<b>What is your main genre of writing? </b></div>
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I write mostly... everything. I love writing young adult contemporary. That's really who I think of myself as a writer. But I've also started writing some contemporary romance (which I will hopefully one day publish under a different name), and recently some middle grade, which I'm falling in love with as well. <br />
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At the core, I write love stories and stories of self-discovery. And they are always contemporary. <br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? </b><br />
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I write wherever and whenever I can. I try to leave for work early and sit at a coffee shop and work for an hour. And sometimes after work I go back, if my husband can hang out with the kids.<br />
A have a few "things" though. <br />
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<li>I can't write near my kids.</li>
<li>I can't write when people are watching me (like too close in a coffee shop).</li>
<li>I tend to not do well with writing while there's music on, though I use music a lot for brainstorming and getting me in the mood to brainstorm.</li>
<li>I always write on my laptop.</li>
<li>I daydream of having a quiet space to write that is all mine and pretty. That will never happen.</li>
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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My process is the same across all genres.<br />
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First, I think about the idea and the characters for a long time. I don't write anything. I find music that I think they'll like and surround myself with it when I'm out walking or driving. I daydream about the characters. I play with different scenes in my head.<br />
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Then I use all sorts of different ways to flesh out the book. I'm a huge fan of the Save the Cat beat sheet, and I use them obsessively. But lately I've also become a huge follower of John Truby's techniques and I tend to work through those. <br />
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The easiest thing for me is to think about the emotion of the characters and the book, so I let myself settle in there for a while. But then I try to force myself to think about conflict. And goals. And especially external conflict. <br />
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And then I just start writing. Because staring at a blank page is the worst.</div>
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<b>When do your best ideas come to you? What are your best brainstorming times?</b><br />
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When I drive, when I go on long walks and when I swim. All are excellent times for thinking up situations and playing with how characters would react. All are terrible for keeping track of said ideas. But I think losing the ideas is part of the process. </div>
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do?</b><br />
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Play with them. They'll lead somewhere or they'll come back. It's no use using voice dictation that stuff never works for me.<br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b><br />
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I plan out the book and especially the arc of the story. And then I do worksheets that I've created using Save the Cat or Truby. And then everything else happens in Scrivener. I'm addicted to Scrivener -- but for some reason, it's really hard for me to plan in Scrivener. So it's where I write. <br />
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I mostly write in order, though when I'm stuck, I'll write a scene that I can already "hear." I love writing the dark moment when all seems lost, so that's a go to place if I'm stuck. <br />
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When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?<br />
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Cry? I'm terrible at revision. Luckily I have awesome critique partners who give me excellent feedback, and fabulous beta readers who also help. And then there's my agent, Rena Rossner who is a rock star. I do what they tell me. Mostly. <br />
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<b>Who/what inspires you?</b><br />
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Definitely other writers. In the YA world, I'm a mad fangirl for anything that Stephanie Perkins or Huntley Fitzpatrick write, but also Kasie West, Katie McGarry, Miranda Kenneally, and Gayle Foreman.<br />
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But also my amazing critique partners and beta readers, some of whom are published and others not yet. (But they will be!!) AJ Pine, Megan Erickson and Lia Riley are all superstars in my eyes, and I'm so grateful for their presence in my life. And wait until you start reading Rachel Simon, Olivia Hinebaugh and Rachel Lynn Solomon. Amazing authors who are on their way to big deals, I promise!<br />
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write?</b><br />
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Because I can't stop? Because I love writing and seeing what comes out? I love reading something later and not remembering that it's something that I wrote? And I love daydreaming stories. As a business, being a writer is so freaky hard. So you have to be addicted and obsessed or you won't be able to keep going. <br />
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<b>Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what did you do to get past this hump?</b><br />
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Only on days that end with "y." Seriously. It's a tough business. But I remember that EVERYONE gets discouraged. And then I reread this important piece from Dahlia Adler: <a href="https://dailydahlia.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/its-not-just-you/">https://dailydahlia.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/its-not-just-you/</a><br />
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<b>Want more Natalie? She’s got a new book that came out yesterday, The Distance From A to Z!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwDrHm38Iu2WK56VvOdWkElmAEb8Ngpd0bmV0-U3ALouVzVECr2tfogHF-il3BLVN-Agpj1tN-EplgelixPrlPn6BwrF7zNgpoRJXHveMk8lpdu46yoVsq3ZCqeMWpkQYa2z0IXl5EqtK/s1600/The+Distance+From+A+to+Z+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwDrHm38Iu2WK56VvOdWkElmAEb8Ngpd0bmV0-U3ALouVzVECr2tfogHF-il3BLVN-Agpj1tN-EplgelixPrlPn6BwrF7zNgpoRJXHveMk8lpdu46yoVsq3ZCqeMWpkQYa2z0IXl5EqtK/s320/The+Distance+From+A+to+Z+cover.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
This full-length novel by debut author Natalie Blitt is a pitch-perfect blend of Stephanie Perkins and Miranda Kenneally that proves the age-old adage: opposites attract.<br />
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Seventeen-year old Abby has only one goal for her summer: to make sure she is fluent in French—well, that, and to get as far away from baseball and her Cubs-obsessed family as possible. A summer of culture and language, with no sports in sight.<br />
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That turns out to be impossible, though, because her French partner is the exact kind of boy she was hoping to avoid. Eight weeks. 120 hours of class. 80 hours of conversation practice with someone who seems to exclusively wear baseball caps and jerseys.<br />
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But Zeke in French is a different person than Zeke in English. And Abby can’t help but fall for him, hard. As Abby begins to suspect that Zeke is hiding something, she has to decide if bridging the gap between the distance between who she is and who he is, is worth the risk.<br />
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<b>Amazon</b>: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/amazonA2Z">http://tinyurl.com/amazonA2Z</a><br />
<b>Barnes and Noble</b>: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/barnes-nobleA2Z">http://tinyurl.com/barnes-nobleA2Z</a><br />
<b>Kobo:</b> <a href="http://tinyurl.com/KoboA2Z">http://tinyurl.com/KoboA2Z</a><br />
<b>HarperCollins: </b><a href="http://tinyurl.com/EpicReadsA2Z">http://tinyurl.com/EpicReadsA2Z</a><br />
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<b>You can also Follow Natalie on these websites!</b><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/natalie_blitt">@natalie_blitt</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NatalieBlittAuthor">https://www.facebook.com/NatalieBlittAuthor</a><br />
Website: <a href="http://natalieblitt.com/">natalieblitt.com</a><br />
Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/natalieblitt/">natalieblitt</a><br />
Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13630160.Natalie_Blitt">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13630160.Natalie_Blitt</a> </div>
J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-76602835736955422602016-01-06T17:00:00.000-05:002016-01-07T11:07:37.858-05:00Melanie S. Hatter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVZLuNBBc8SfwK5dmTujpJfVWt71ua7cu9APmqJIk_OygI6e1DOxhleKQMSP3JN2obu_OEV8b-YFV9OW-xH4X_HHIhPmTFr_9qf3tV8mzDMzFzCgfAZRwGI5S71MAnwvjtRjJkyfCcI9X/s1600/Headshot_Feb2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVZLuNBBc8SfwK5dmTujpJfVWt71ua7cu9APmqJIk_OygI6e1DOxhleKQMSP3JN2obu_OEV8b-YFV9OW-xH4X_HHIhPmTFr_9qf3tV8mzDMzFzCgfAZRwGI5S71MAnwvjtRjJkyfCcI9X/s320/Headshot_Feb2015.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">MELANIE S. HATTER</span></b></div>
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Melanie S. Hatter is the author of “The Color of My Soul,” winner of the 2011 Washington Writers’ Publishing House Fiction Prize, and “Let No One Weep for Me, Stories of Love and Loss,” a short story collection. Her short stories have appeared in The Whistling Fire, Defying Gravity, TimBookTu and Diverse Voices Quarterly, and her short story, “Obsessed with Claudia,” won the First Annual Romantic Tales Writing Contest. Born and raised in Scotland (UK), Melanie received a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University and a master’s in writing from Johns Hopkins University. She has a background in journalism and corporate communications.<br />
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<i>Melanie is currently accepting new book editing clients. She works with fiction and non-fiction. Please visit <a href="http://melanieshatter.com/">melanieshatter.com</a> for more information.</i><br />
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<b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing?</b><br />
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Literary Fiction, both short stories and novels.<br />
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<b>Do you have a writing routine? </b><br />
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I don't have a particular routine, and in fact, I find that switching things up is helpful. I have an office at home with a desk by the window so I can look out at the birds and squirrels running along the power lines and tree branches. But sometimes I'll settle on the couch with my laptop and a cup of jasmine tea. It's not often that I go to a coffee shop, but occasionally I may meet a friend for a writing session and that environment sometimes gives me a different perspective or idea. Generally, I like silence to let my thoughts roam, but if there is music, I like instrumental. That said, when I'm not writing, music often helps me think about my writing. Sometimes a song will connect me to a particular character. <br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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I do a lot of thinking before I start to write, and then I simply sit down and let it flow. With novels, I don't chart things out until I have a considerable amount on the page. Then I begin to look at patterns or develop character studies. I have to get my characters moving and engaging with each other before I feel ready to fully explore who they are, if that makes sense. Once I get a feel for who they are, then I can delve deeper and complete a Q&A with each of the main characters. Short stories are often inspired by a comment or a situation I read or heard about, and tend to flow more quickly, but I spend a lot of time editing.<br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b><br />
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I write as it comes then go back and look at the structure. With my first novel, I had separate files for each chapter, but it became unwieldy, so now I keep everything in one document.<br />
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<b>When do your best ideas come to you? </b><br />
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Often in the car when I'm driving. I may see a house or a person that stimulates an idea. Or I may hear a song on the radio.<br />
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do? </b><br />
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I keep thinking about it until I'm in a place where I can write notes. Although, I'm sure I've lost many ideas because I forgot to write it down. <br />
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b><br />
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No particular method. I simply read and re-read, tweaking as I go. I have a writing group and they give me great feedback on areas that need work.<br />
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<b>Who/what inspires you? </b><br />
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Reading. When I read something that touches my heart, I'm inspired to want to create something as beautiful. One of my favorite writers is Toni Morrison. But the first book I remember falling in love with was Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.<br />
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write? </b><br />
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When I was little I loved to read. I loved getting caught up in a world that opened my mind to something I had never considered before. So when I first began to write, I liked the idea of being able to do that, to create stories and characters that readers would believe and enjoy. I feel the same today about reading. But perhaps my focus has changed a little as a writer. I write to understand human relationships (family and love relationships), human motivation and portray the complexities of human nature. Maybe I'll stop writing if I ever fully understand why people do what they do. <br />
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<b>Lastly, is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing?</b><br />
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A change of scenery sometimes helps. Get out and walk, take a drive, listen to music or settle down and read a favorite book. Meditation and yoga keep me centered. I don't write every day, and perhaps I should, but I think about my writing every day, and for me, that counts because when I sit down, I'm able to let flow all the words that have been swirling around my head.</div>
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<b>Want more Melanie? </b></div>
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<b><br /></b>Follow her on these Social Networks!<br />
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/mshatter1">https://twitter.com/mshatter1</a><br />
Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4861297.Melanie_S_Hatter">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4861297.Melanie_S_Hatter</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melanie-S-Hatter/212310952144693?ref=hl">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melanie-S-Hatter/212310952144693?ref=hl</a></div>
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Check out her website here</div>
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<a href="http://melanieshatter.com/">http://melanieshatter.com/</a><br />
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And read her work in these locations!<br />
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Let No One Weep for Me, Stories of Love and Loss, short story collection<br />
<a href="http://melanieshatter.com/my-stories/let-no-one-weep-for-me-stories-of-love-and-loss/">http://melanieshatter.com/my-stories/let-no-one-weep-for-me-stories-of-love-and-loss/</a><br />
This is available at Sankofa bookstore in D.C. and on Amazon as a paperback and everywhere as an e-book (Kobo, Kindle, Nook, Apple, etc)<br />
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The Color of My Soul, a novel<br />
<a href="http://melanieshatter.com/my-stories/the-color-of-my-soul/">http://melanieshatter.com/my-stories/the-color-of-my-soul/</a><br />
Available everywhere. It is a frequent selection in the D.C. public schools through the PEN/Faulkner Writers in Schools program and was selected as the "big read" last summer for all kids at McKinley H.S. in D.C.</div>
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-76746658027366683462015-12-30T17:00:00.000-05:002015-12-30T17:00:06.555-05:00Lauren Lynne<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>LAUREN LYNNE</b></span></div>
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I’m author Lauren Lynne. The good side of growing up is that you can write whatever you want. The downside... now I can’t read it without my glasses! I have the soul of an adventurer but the heart of a coward when it comes to danger, yet I’m drawn to all things action-adventure, so this particular genre was a natural fit. You won’t find me bungee jumping, cliff diving or doing parkour because, well... I’m a klutz… so I write it. Think of me as an armchair adventure hound. I create characters who are much braver, tougher, more graceful and athletic than I will ever be. When you dream, dream big! <br />
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I love working with students who have a thirst for knowledge. I write for young adults because they are the age group I most love to teach. I grew up in a house where reading was expected, anticipated and enjoyed. I want to pass that joy on to my students. I do not write alone, but pull in my boys for real life teenaged insight. I also listen to my students. <br />
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I am a native of the Pacific Northwest, with its vivid and varied panoramas. When I’m not writing, I can be found spending time with my family, working with students, reading, gardening or hiking around Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Gorge or the Oregon Coast with my camera. I am also a graduate of both Oregon State and Portland State universities with degrees in education and science. Writing is my passion and I want to share my love of it and reading with you.<br />
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<b>What is your main genre? </b><br />
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My published works are all in the young adult genre. I’m working on a young adult dystopian that I plan to release in 2016. I am not done exploring my options. As a kid growing up I loved Nancy Drew and still have a love of mysteries. I love teaching fourth and fifth grade so I would love to write a middle grade book and I have an idea for a children’s book that is partially completed. One thing is true… so far I’m all about fiction.<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine?</b><br />
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I used to have a writing routine but the last couple of years my life has gotten pretty crazy. Now writing happens whenever I can grab a few minutes. Ideally I like to sit and or stand at my main computer while listening to some epic movie music. I always carry around a journal so I can scribble ideas and I often keep a few print pages of my current project with me to edit or reference. I tend to write in waves. First, I try to simply get my ideas down on paper. Later, I go back and reread and refine it and then I do that again before I have my first reader go over it. All that happens before the real editing beings. <br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas? </b><br />
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I do write more than one genre but so far my process has been the same. I start with a big idea and then I begin to flesh out the smaller ideas that build to the big idea. Often during that part of the process, I start getting lots of ideas for particular scenes so I go ahead and write those while the idea is fresh in my mind. Later they may get moved around or deleted from that story. I hang onto everything so that if something didn’t work in one story, I can use it in another one.<br />
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do?</b><br />
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Like I mentioned earlier, I always carry a journal with me so that when ideas strike I can write them down the old fashioned way. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to have my laptop with me but often my spontaneous writing happens on paper. It is amazing how often I get more writing done on the road these days than I do when I’m home. <br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work? </b><br />
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I always keep at least three copies of my work in case I have a technological failure of some sort. I work mainly off of one piece but I keep separate files for characters within a series and another for ideas that don’t fit my current project. When it comes to structure, I outline the major story line but I do not outline all the little pieces. Mostly I let the story take me away. It leads me, I don’t lead it, other than the overarching theme – it must have an end point. <br />
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process? </b><br />
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I alluded to this earlier but didn’t really answer the question. I often write in a combination of in my journal and directly into the computer. I reread the story once on the computer, making corrections as I go and then I print it out and read it again. I make notes all over the print copy. This is what I meant by writing in waves. My story goes in surges. Once I’ve been over it a few times, I pass it off to my mom. She is then reading it with fresh eyes because I frequently read what I meant to say instead of what I actually typed. Our next step is to read it aloud. It’s amazing what you can catch simply by making sure that it sounds like English. <br />
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<b>Who/what inspires you?</b><br />
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I am inspired by my boys, their friends and all my students. I am also inspired by what I see around me. Occasionally I’ll see someone walking down the street and think that they are just the character I need in my book. I also watch nature. What does the rain sound like hitting my office window? How are the clouds today? What are the local plants telling me? In addition I tune into me. How do I feel? Why do I feel that way? What does scared feel like? How about really happy?<br />
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write?</b><br />
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I write because I love it. I have all these crazy story ideas in my head and it is therapy to get them out and onto paper. I will have left behind a legacy. I can say, “I did that.” Certainly I did something. I will never know how many students I positively impacted but I did leave behind my literary work. <br />
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<b>Lastly, is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing?</b><br />
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I believe that our muses are individual so what works for me, may not work for anyone else. When I’m stuck, I simply go do something else for a little while. When I get my mind off something that tends to be when things breaks loose and the wheels really begin turning again. Going for a walk or listening to music usually does the trick for me. I have been known to take a break and watch a movie with similarities to what I’m writing and often do that for research especially for fight scenes. I have all my epic movie music broken down into feelings within my play list. I have music for fight scenes, thinking, sadness and more. Again, think movie… what type of music would they be playing when… fill in the blank. It really gets my writing moving. I can see the scenes in my head and hear my character’s voices. <br />
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<b>Want more Lauren?? You can purchase her books at these fine retailers: </b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Lynne/e/B00B143ESE/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1426024035&sr=1-2-ent">Amazon </a></b><br />
<b>BookBaby: </b><a href="http://my.bookbaby.com/book/visions-1#">Visions</a> | <a href="http://my.bookbaby.com/book/whispers-1">Whispers</a> | <a href="http://my.bookbaby.com/book/insights-1">Insights</a> | <a href="http://my.bookbaby.com/book/perceptions">Perceptions</a><br />
<b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/visions-lauren-lynne/1120385798?ean=9781483538570">Barnes & Noble</a></b><br />
<b><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lauren-lynne/id888488150?mt=11">iBook Store</a></b><br />
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And check her out on the web on these networks!</div>
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<a href="http://laurenlynneauthor.com/">Lauren Lynne Author Website</a><br />
<a href="http://thesecretwatchers.com/">The Secret Waters Series' Website</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheSecretWatchersSeries">The Secret Watchers Series Facebook Page</a><br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/LaurenLynneAuthor">http://facebook.com/LaurenLynneAuthor</a><br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/LaurenLynneYA">http://Twitter.com/LaurenLynneYA</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5808133.Lauren_Lynne">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5808133.Lauren_Lynne</a><br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/laurenlynneYA/">Pinterest: laurenlynneYA</a><br />
<a href="http://plus.google.com/+LaurenLynne/about">Google + Lauren Lynne</a><br />
<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lauren-walker/4a/3/bb4">Lauren Lynne's Linked In</a><br />
<a href="http://authorlaurenlynne.tumblr.com/">Authorlaurenlynne's Tumblr</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtts8vMLY9fFREf8HRY6nbQ%C2%A0">Lauren Lynne's Youtube</a><br />
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<br />J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-20803838743118162322015-12-16T17:00:00.000-05:002015-12-16T17:00:00.246-05:00Joanna Meyer<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">JOANNA MEYER</span></b></div>
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Joanna is a YA fantasy author represented by Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary. She’s a musician, bookworm, and hopeless romantic, and divides her time between writing and teaching piano lessons. A reluctant desert-dweller, she lives in Arizona with her husband and a rascally feline named Bertie. She loves rainstorms, looseleaf tea, and semi-colons, and aspires to own an old Victorian house with creaky wooden floors.<br />
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<b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing?</b><br />
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I write Young Adult Fantasy.<br />
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<b>Do you think your genre of writing informs your process?</b><br />
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I’m not sure. Fantasy has a lot to do with creating new worlds/societies, and a lot of my brainstorming has to do with refining those things. But I think if I were to write a different type of novel, I would probably go about brainstorming it in the same way. No matter the genre, I think my brain would prefer getting to the end result on a similar path.<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals?</b><br />
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I teach piano lessons most afternoons, so mornings are my designated writing time. I aim to get working by 8:30 or so. I usually sit down with a cup (or pot!) of tea, preferably loose-leaf (specifically Harney & Sons), with a dash of cream (no sugar!) and sip away while I write. Sometimes I stare blankly at the screen and down a whole mug. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in writing that I forget to drink my tea before it gets cold. :-)<br />
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I have a writing desk in our second bedroom, situated by a window, for staring-out-of when I’m lost in thought. Our cat, Bertie, likes to sleep on my desk/hand/keyboard and keep me company/distract me with purring while I write. :-)<br />
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But sometimes I just Can Not Concentrate at home for whatever reason, and I’ll do a writing day out. Recently I’ve put in some serious hours at the local Paradise Bakery (their tea and cookies are to DIE for), and I’ve definitely haunted various Starbucks/coffee shops as well. I’ll also go over to my BFF’s house and write at her kitchen table while she works on her dissertation/grading. When it’s cool enough, I loooooooove writing outside, but that’s impossible between May and October here.<br />
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Sometimes I need silence, sometimes I like music, though it generally has to be either all instrumental, a specific writing playlist, or certain albums that for some reason just don’t distract me. I’ve done a TON of writing to Of Monsters and Men’s MY HEAD IS AN ANIMAL and Laura Veir’s JULY FLAME on loop.<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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I do some initial brainstorming on paper, generally in a brand new notebook I’ve specifically designated for the new novel (I looooooove new notebooks)! I LOVE this stage of writing—anything’s possible, everything’s exciting! I’ll brainstorm characters, hunt for names, write about settings, muse on what the story’s about, and end by writing a very basic three-point outline: what happens in the beginning, the middle, and the end (usually just a sentence each).<br />
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Then I’m ready to utilize my favorite outlining technic of all time: the Snowflake Method: <a href="http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/">http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/</a> (I only ever go through Step Eight, and generally skip Step Seven.)<br />
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Basically, I’m the kind of person who HATES detailed, roman-numeral-rigid-type outlines, but I know from experience that if I DON’T outline, I write myself into a corner, and can’t get myself out again. The Snowflake allows me to organically grow my ideas and give them structure at the same time. I LOVE this, and it helps me so much to really nail down my plot and explore the story before I write it!<br />
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By the time I’ve worked through the Snowflake, I’m ready to create my scene outline, which I do in the marvelous novel-writing software Scrivener (I love this software SO MUCH I’ve actually bought it twice. Incredibly worth it!!). In Scrivener, I make a virtual notecard for every scene, and jot down a sentence or two about what happens in the scene. When I’m done, I can see the whole novel in miniature, and I know exactly where each scene is supposed to go—then I’m ready to WRITE!</div>
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<b>When do your best ideas come to you? What are your best brainstorming times?</b><br />
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I get ideas randomly—a conversation, a serving plate, a frame from a movie, a line from a book. Sometimes they just pop into my head for no reason whatsoever. I do my best to write them down immediately, and then wait to see if they surface again and demand to become a book.<br />
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My best brainstorming times are somewhere quiet, with a notebook and a pen and a cup of tea. It helps if I’m by a window and it’s raining outside. :-)<br />
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I also do a lot of excellent thinking in the shower (ideas just EXPLODE in there), or when I’m driving.<br />
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do?</b><br />
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I’ll repeat it over and over in my head until I get to my destination and can jot it down somewhere (on my phone if I don’t have a notebook).</div>
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b><br />
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As mentioned above, I write in Scrivener. It has a full-screen editor that I usually work in, and I write one scene at a time, moving through my handy scene outline. I work linearly, so no hopping around for me! Sometimes I get to an outlined scene that doesn’t feel right anymore, so I change it/follow where the story wants to go/cut it altogether. That’s what I like about my outlines—I’m not so married to them that I don’t allow myself to follow the natural course of the story!<br />
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I generally draft very quickly (thanks to that outline!), and in my younger days have been known to pound out 100K words in a month! 0_o The last two novels I’ve written have gone a liiiiitle slower than that, about 70K over the course of two months. :-) I love first drafts—there’s nothing like that uninhibited rush of creation!<br />
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b><br />
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Revising—my arch-nemesis!! I’ve tried a variety of techniques over the years, and a few have stuck:<br />
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First, I’ll do a read-through and take notes on what I’d like to change. Then I make a scene-list (kind of a reverse outline), in Numbers (Mac’s version of Excel), so I can see the whole novel at a glance, and not have to read the manuscript a billion times.<br />
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Next, I’ll do a kind of “revision” on that scene-list: deleting things, rearranging things, adding new things, figuring out on a large scale what I want the book to look like.<br />
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When I’m happy with that, it’s time to do the same surgery on the actual manuscript. At this stage, I start a new draft, and physically re-type everything from the beginning, working through the whole book and implementing the changes. Re-typing everything forces me to consider every word, and also helps keep any new scenes in the same voice/feel as the old stuff.<br />
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Once I’m finished with the new draft, I often print it out and go through it line-by-line, prettifying sentences, deleting unnecessary words, spotting typos etc. Then it’s off to my critique partner!<br />
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<b>Who/what inspires you?</b><br />
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Music and nature inspire me (RAIN and FORESTS and MOUNTAINS), really excellent books/movies inspire me. Night. Stars. The moon. <3<br />
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<b>Why do you write? </b><br />
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I have all these stories inside me, bursting to get out. My sister once said off-handedly: “You’re always happier when you’re writing a novel,” and that’s really true. I love discovering worlds and characters, going to other places, exploring my creativity, thinking and feeling and becoming new things.<br />
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Writing is weird, because on the one hand, you’re inventing characters and stories to put them in, but on the other hand, they already kind of exist outside you. They burrow into your brain and tell you their stories, and you have to do your best to write them down properly.<br />
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I can’t not write. I want to always be creating stories and sharing them with other people. That’s what is inside of me to do, and I guess that’s what motivates me to keep on going, even when it’s hard. I’m a head-in-the-clouds-what-is-reality dreamer, and writing is one of those rare professions where that trait is socially acceptable. :-D<br />
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<b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing? </b><br />
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Sometimes you have to step away from the desk for a while—go for a walk or do some reading or do something else creative (try a craft project, or write a song). Sometimes you need to stop and do some brainstorming. Maybe try writing by hand if typing isn’t working for you. And don’t beat yourself up!<br />
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<b>Have you ever had “writer’s block?” How did you get past this?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Everything I mentioned above about struggling to get the words flowing!<br />
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<b>Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what did you do to get past this hump?</b><br />
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Absolutely! Sometimes I take a break, sometimes I gripe to a writer friend, sometimes (again) I just need to get my head somewhere else and do some reading.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>And one more note from Joanna...!</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>For any writers currently querying and feeling super discouraged, DON’T GIVE UP!! I queried several different versions of two books off and on for SIX YEARS, piling up tons and tons of rejection letters—and I signed with my agent this past April. It is TOTALLY possible. Just keep writing, and dreaming, and querying. YOU CAN DO IT!<br />
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<b>Want more Joanna?</b><br />
Check her out on the web at these links below!<br />
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/gamwyn">Twitter @gamwyn</a><br />
Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2716210-joanna-meyer">https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2716210-joanna-meyer</a><br />
Blog: <a href="http://gamwyn.blogspot.com/">http://gamwyn.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-78594285757271719562015-12-09T17:00:00.000-05:002015-12-09T17:00:05.307-05:00Leanne Jones<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">LEANNE JONES</span></b></div>
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<i>Entrepreneur / Author / Lifestyle Design Coach</i></div>
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Certified Lifestyle Design Coach Leanne Jones is the author of <i>Trust the Process: 30 Days of Inspiration to Enrich, Enhance and Empower Your Life</i>. Inspirited with a goal to teach women to create themselves and learn how to be the designer of their own lives, Leanne Jones empowers women to evolve and elevate to reach success on their own terms for the life they truly want and deserve.</div>
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With an education and background in Business and Entrepreneurship, she is the Co-founder of “The Jones Sisters” which is at the center of all of Leanne's projects, including acting as CEO and COO of her and her sisters own fashion and natural beauty businesses.<br />
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A young mogul in the making, Leanne Jones is richly committed to family, fitness and travel. A former Miss Black California contestant and winner of Miss West Coast's Entrepreneur 2014, Leanne Jones offers immeasurable potential with her outgoing and outstanding personality that makes her unstoppable at achieving beyond her own highest expectations.</div>
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For more information about The Jones Sisters please visit: <a href="http://www.officialjonessisters.com/">www.officialjonessisters.com</a></div>
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<b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing?</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafpi2LE0C61xIJEe-VGk7tRolqxUM7dSx-2-gp9ZFPwj7ts1UlcsMbsV7-SBhaUUe7rYy2PgK1xoPemuFlW_1Ca5MRf9z6ch8tPpa499CS5n-5PMh4VluzpnLOlaZf978sXkAIMUfh9TI/s1600/bookimageforshop.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>My main genre of writing is Non-Fiction.<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals?</b><br />
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I’m most comfortable writing in my own home because it’s peaceful and it keeps me from getting distracted. I never really write outdoors or in public places like coffee shops. I’m pretty big on having the right “vibe” around me when I’m writing, so I like to light beautiful scented candles, and be in a silent, clean area that just feels and smells good.<br />
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When I was writing my first book my drink of choice was caramel ice coffee (which I had a lot of), but now I enjoy lemon water. If I eat it’ll most likely be fruit, I’m a huge fruit lover!<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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When I am preparing to write a new book I definitely always use an outline. It’s extremely helpful and always helps me get any book written much faster simply because it gives me direction and clarity. I’m also pretty big on organization so an outline helps me to be organized yet creative at the same time. For me, when writing a book the foundation is the most important part because once that is set the rest becomes much easier and flows a bit better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGrAaepyCVf0cld7dgBcM1Xc05D9xi0UrUgg8zp9ahJxdM2wrLF6XLJCKyH-h79qlJGBx6IpmmIia2-EjzvQwc3WGE9bnjJZAhec45n1wPLprRpDUKnNdZ9bhfriLR8ixP_sQcK6ZCAMl/s1600/TheJonesSistersOprah.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGrAaepyCVf0cld7dgBcM1Xc05D9xi0UrUgg8zp9ahJxdM2wrLF6XLJCKyH-h79qlJGBx6IpmmIia2-EjzvQwc3WGE9bnjJZAhec45n1wPLprRpDUKnNdZ9bhfriLR8ixP_sQcK6ZCAMl/s320/TheJonesSistersOprah.png" width="319" /></a><b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do?</b><br />
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I try to voice record my thoughts or I write in the notepad on my phone since I always have it with me.<br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b><br />
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For the most part I try to be disciplined when I’m writing a piece because, if no,t I find that I’ll procrastinate more, but other times when something comes to me, I just write and save it for later.<br />
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When I work on a specific piece I try to stay as organized as I can, but of course sometimes there are those thoughts or ideas that just come out of nowhere (it’s like something randomly hitting you on the head). So I try to stay prepared for when that happens and because I grew up in the era of technology, I must admit that I don’t always write with pen and paper all the time.<br />
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I usually have a specific physical folder with the book title on it which anything I write on paper does get filed into, but I’ll also create a folder on my computer and as backup I usually have a notepad in my phone or voice recording's (for in case an idea hits me while I’m on the go). Then afterwards I bring everything together and make changes if necessary.<br />
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>When it is time to revise/edit my work I usually have a couple people that are close to me read it over and then I get in contact with my editor and go through an editing process. I would never try to edit my books myself simply because when writing a book, I already end up reading it over so many times that it’s almost impossible for errors or mistakes to stand out to me. So I step away, and let someone else point them out to me, that way I can go back and change or fix certain things.<br />
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<b>When do your best ideas come to you?</b><br />
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My best ideas usually come to me at the beginning of the day. Usually in the morning, sometimes during my morning workout or in the shower. My best time to brainstorm is usually at the beginning of the day, too. I think it’s because I’m a morning person and I usually always wake up motivated, energized and feeling good so my creativity flows more. Where as at night I tend to just be calm and relaxed before my brain shuts off before bed.<br />
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<b>Who/what inspires you?</b><br />
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I’m inspired by many people and things. Some of them being my family, Oprah, Beyoncé, and my mentors such as Shanel Cooper-Sykes.<br />
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<b>Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what do you do to overcome this? </b><br />
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I tend to not feel discouraged too often and I think it’s because I won’t allow myself to. Usually as soon as I get any discouraging or negative types of thoughts I automatically try and change it by either listening to something to uplift my spirits right away, read the bible or I’ll immediately turn to my motivational tools that way I stay uplifted and positive and it keeps me going strong. I just try be aware of my feelings and if they aren’t good, I change them. J<br />
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<b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing?</b><br />
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Well for me I write non-fiction books, so most of the time when I write I just write as though I’m speaking to myself or giving a close friend advice, guidance or information based off my experience or what I know. A good tip I like to use is when I feel like I’m having trouble with writers block or getting the words flowing is I just speak it out into my voice recorder. Then, I can type up what I said and it BOOM! It becomes writing, which can turn into a book!<br />
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I would just like to say that for anyone else that may want to write a book themselves one day to inspire someone else. One thing I always like to tell myself is to “treat all of your ideas like royalty because you never know which one might grow up to be a King (or Queen).” So if you have ideas about books you want to write or put out into the world, write them down and go for it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafpi2LE0C61xIJEe-VGk7tRolqxUM7dSx-2-gp9ZFPwj7ts1UlcsMbsV7-SBhaUUe7rYy2PgK1xoPemuFlW_1Ca5MRf9z6ch8tPpa499CS5n-5PMh4VluzpnLOlaZf978sXkAIMUfh9TI/s1600/bookimageforshop.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafpi2LE0C61xIJEe-VGk7tRolqxUM7dSx-2-gp9ZFPwj7ts1UlcsMbsV7-SBhaUUe7rYy2PgK1xoPemuFlW_1Ca5MRf9z6ch8tPpa499CS5n-5PMh4VluzpnLOlaZf978sXkAIMUfh9TI/s320/bookimageforshop.png" width="200" /></a>Leanne's book comes out on December 15th! </div>
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<b>Trust the Process </b>was written to empower women to create a better present and future for themselves. Within these pages, you will discover the inner strength to grow in ways that will inspire positive changes in every area of your life.</div>
<br />Arranged into 30 daily segments, this daily inspirational tool that helps define powerful ways for women to:<br /><ul>
<li>Design a quality life</li>
<li>Make each day a productive masterpiece</li>
<li>Get clarity in your life</li>
<li>Set priorities</li>
</ul>
Keep the faith, while keeping everything else together!<br /><br />
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<i>Official Pre-orders for the book start 12/5/15 and will only be available on <a href="http://www.trusttheprocessbook.com/">www.trusttheprocessbook.com</a>. Pre-orders will be exclusive signed copies (with free bookmark). </i><br />
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<b>Want more Leanne? Check her out on the web in these locations!</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.trusttheprocessbook.com/">www.trusttheprocessbook.com</a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.officialjonessisters.com/">www.officialjonessisters.com</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.instagram.com/thejonessisters">Instagram @TheJonesSisters</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/OfficialJonesSisters">Facebook: OfficialJonesSisters</a></div>
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<a href="http://twitter.com/2JonesSisters">Twitter: @2JonesSisters</a></div>
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Check out this website for exclusive Pre-Order (signed copies and free gifts)!</div>
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<a href="http://www.trusttheprocessbook.com/">www.trusttheprocessbook.com</a> Available on Amazon on 12/15/15 </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtjys9rPc6Mn5uBViXaHyX1hBEkNaJRnJZhI-vDbLQSXJX_shtT98KKRf24H0TJfSARARg1sK2DYKeaKWL2RRUuKsT7gas6pdtjanZyDQuON3GoPHBiYwhIzszafCdMi1PBVQBB0f1JPu/s1600/Trust-Process-banner.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtjys9rPc6Mn5uBViXaHyX1hBEkNaJRnJZhI-vDbLQSXJX_shtT98KKRf24H0TJfSARARg1sK2DYKeaKWL2RRUuKsT7gas6pdtjanZyDQuON3GoPHBiYwhIzszafCdMi1PBVQBB0f1JPu/s320/Trust-Process-banner.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<i>(U.S. Residents Only)</i></div>
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1 Autographed copy of <i>Trust The Process: 30 Days of Inspiration to Enrich, Enhance and Empower Your Life.</i></div>
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1 Bookmark</div>
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1 Key chain</div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="2531927112" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2531927112/" id="rcwidget_3qn1jo1u" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></div>
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-46579465966283071122015-12-02T17:00:00.000-05:002015-12-02T17:00:04.785-05:00RA Black<div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>RA BLACK</b></span></div>
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Horror and fantasy writer</div>
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Cheese devourer</div>
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Professional computer wrangler</div>
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<b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing?</b></div>
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I write for adults (I tried a YA and it didn't work, so I'm in the process of re-writing it for adults) in fantasy and horror</div>
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<b>What is your writing routine? </b></div>
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If I'm at home, I always have a cup of tea. There have been times when I've sat down, stared at the laptop for ten minutes, then realised I had no tea. Other than that, I write as and when I can. Often it's at my desk at work during lunchtimes. I need music to write; silence always feels wrong to me. It helps me get out of where I am now, and where I need to be for the characters. My current music choice is an 8 hour epic music playlist on youtube. </div>
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b></div>
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I'm a total pantser. I tend to get a small idea, or even a single line, and then see where it takes me. I'll make notes and collate research in Evernote when I'm out and about so I can access it wherever I am.</div>
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b></div>
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I write as I go. When it comes to editing, each new version gets a new file so I can keep the scenes I cut. </div>
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b></div>
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I've started listening to my work via a text to speech program. It's been very helpful with finding typos and where I've used the wrong words. Then I try and work with a few CPs and go through their notes.</div>
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write?</b></div>
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There are a lot of people in my head and they're not quiet! I love losing myself in other people's stories. My characters become very real to me. I know how they think, what they feel. I hear their voices when I write their dialogue. It's very powerful. </div>
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Want to read more from RA Black? Check out her website here!<br /> <a href="https://wordsofrablack.wordpress.com/category/extracts/">Words of RA Black</a><br /><br />And you can follow RA Black on these fine locations across the web below!<br /><b>Twitter </b>- <a href="http://twitter.com/wordsofrablack">@wordsofrablack</a><br /><b>Facebook</b>- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thewordsofrablack">https://www.facebook.com/thewordsofrablack</a><br /><b>Blog </b>- <a href="https://wordsofrablack.wordpress.com/">https://wordsofrablack.wordpress.com/</a>J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-91922693901975856192015-11-18T17:00:00.000-05:002015-11-20T11:47:46.347-05:00Tia Silverthorne Bach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ozzMif7KcNcbmb6diRZAicupcTQH07rFs6zrF7wcM6LGjXvVZsUVJ7jroVg146F657D7sLzXxEuAjNHrV-B3Gr6I3FomwM92_FSC7iPC_BvhfuZ0mnZfRnf91iPgWhN1upJMv0CyHfsd/s1600/Tia+Author+PicSepia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ozzMif7KcNcbmb6diRZAicupcTQH07rFs6zrF7wcM6LGjXvVZsUVJ7jroVg146F657D7sLzXxEuAjNHrV-B3Gr6I3FomwM92_FSC7iPC_BvhfuZ0mnZfRnf91iPgWhN1upJMv0CyHfsd/s1600/Tia+Author+PicSepia.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">TIA SILVERTHORNE BACH</span></b></div>
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Tia Silverthorne Bach has been married to her college sweetheart for twenty years, has three beautiful girls, and adores living in sunny California. Her daughters were born in Chicago, San Diego, and Baltimore; and she feels fortunate to have called many places home. She believes in fairy tales and happy endings and is an avid reader and rabid grammar hound.<br />
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She is an award-winning, multi-genre author and an Editor for Indie Books Gone Wild. From an early age, she escaped into books and believes they can be the source of healing and strength. If she’s not writing, you can find her on the tennis court, at the movies, reading a good book, or spooning Jif peanut butter right out of the jar.<br />
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What is/are your main genre/field of writing? </b><br />
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Young Adult is my main genre, but I have written Women’s Fiction (Depression Cookies) and Adult Paranormal/Historical Fantasy (the upcoming Seven). <br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals? </b><br />
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My muse dictates the best time, but in general, I write best with quiet. So, my best writing times tend to be really early in the morning or really late at night. I always have snacks and a drink nearby so I don’t have to walk away when the words are flowing. Also, I have to have paper and several different colored pens by me at all times. Sometimes I can’t write fast enough to keep up with the ideas (I’m a total pantser), so I will scribble big plot points and where I want a scene to go in different color ink (for different characters or plot points). Otherwise, I fear forgetting my ideas. <br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas? </b><br />
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It’s messy but effective. I have a notebook for each book, and I scribble all kinds of ideas in there between and during writing sessions. I also chat about scenes with my oldest daughter (she’s 15), who is an avid reader. I love bouncing ideas off of her and trying out dialog. Plus, she’ll do research for me. For my last book, I had her researching angels.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Check out <a href="http://amzn.to/1Ppex3J" style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; text-align: left;"><b>Chasing Destiny</b></a><br />Tia Bach's new release!</span><br /></td></tr>
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<b>When do your best ideas come to you? What are your best brainstorming times? </b><br />
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Honestly, I have my best ideas from moments when I’m at peace. I get ideas on a walk, in the shower, and from my dreams. When my brain is scattered, the ideas disappear.<br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work? </b><br />
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I’m a total pantser, so I let the characters guide the story. Except for some notes, I truly sit and write. Sometimes, I’ll skip ahead a couple of scenes because that’s what my character demands. But, overall, I write linearly. </div>
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do? </b><br />
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I have had my teenage daughters take notes while I’m driving, and I’ve called myself and left long voicemails about ideas if I’m driving alone. Any other time, I keep a notebook in my purse for jotting down ideas. <br />
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process? </b><br />
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I read all dialog out loud to make sure I don’t trip over it or it doesn’t sound clunky. Also, I have a handful of trusted beta readers who I pass the work off to after I’ve gone through it several times. I am an editor, but it’s so difficult to edit your own work. Once I go through my edits and my betas, it’s off to my editor. <br />
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<b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing? </b><br />
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I know it sounds too easy, but just sit down and write. You might have to scrap a few words, but you will eventually find your groove. Turn off the internal editor, and just let the words flow. <br />
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<b>Do you ever feel discouraged? If so, what did you do to get past this hump? </b><br />
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Of course I do. I have an amazing writing community, and I turn to them when I need some pumping up. They understand my fears, disappointments, and insecurities. I don’t know what I’d do without them. <br />
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write? </b><br />
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Writing is part of my soul. I’ve always loved books, and my mother is an amazing storyteller, so I grew up with stories. I can’t imagine not writing. When I hear from a reader who loved my story, it spurs me to want to write more and better. </div>
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<b><b>Want more from Tia?? Check her out on the web in these locations!</b></b></div>
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Website: <a href="http://www.tiabach.com/">TiaBach.com</a></div>
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Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tia.bach.author">Tia Bach Author</a></div>
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Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Tia_Bach_Author">@Tia_Bach_Author</a></div>
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Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4456703.Tia_Silverthorne_Bach">Tia Bach on Goodreads</a></div>
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Wattpad: <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/user/tiabach">Tia Bach on Wattpad</a></div>
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Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tia_bach_author/">Tia Bach Author on Instagram</a></div>
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<b><a href="http://eepurl.com/bif19P">Sign up for her Author newsletter</a></b><br />
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<b><b>Purchase Tia's books on Amazon below!</b></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1PeSBGY">Chasing Memories</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1WpIRPT">Chasing Shadows</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1GHnD9i">Chasing Forgiveness</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1Ppex3J">Chasing Destiny</a> *NEW RELEASE!*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fractured-Glass-Tia-Silverthorne-Bach-ebook/dp/B00Q3D3OJC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447745361&sr=8-1&keywords=Fractured+Glass%2C+Tia+Silverthorne+Bach">Fractured Glass</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/425424">Depression Cookies</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Her newest release, </span><a href="http://amzn.to/1Ppex3J" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chasing Destiny</a>, came out November 12th! Check it out here!</b></div>
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-24997385952123911152015-11-11T17:00:00.000-05:002015-11-11T17:00:00.193-05:00PJ Webb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>PJ Webb</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">I’m a red haired, green eyed, Virgo (folklore claims red hair to be the sign of the witch). I love using my imagination to create fantasy and hopefully unforgettable characters. I’ve been labeled a cake-etarian by my husband, Scott. In other words, I don’t eat meat, but I’m not crazy about most vegetables either.<br /><br />I lived most of my life in exciting New York City, but that changed in July of 2011 when together with my husband and our two cats, we set out on a cruise aboard our boat<i>Somewhere in Time</i>. Our original intention had been to cruise to Florida where my husband has family. However, circumstances beyond our control, often called fate, landed us in North Carolina. I think we’re all still suffering from culture shock.<br /><br />I started writing my first book approximately three years ago. It's <i>Book One – Transformation - in my Prince of the Blood Vampire Chronicles</i>. Since then, I’ve released <i>Book Two - Evolution, </i>and my third, which is not in the vampire genre, titled <i>Lora Lee</i>.</span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span class="im"><br /><b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing?</b></span>Fantasy and Fantasy/Romance</span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you think your genre of writing informs your process? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No, not at all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="im"><br /><b>What is your writing routine?</b></span>I don’t really have one. I’m rather unorganized. I’m usually juggling writing a new story while I’m editing another, so I go by my mood as to which one I feel like doing during any session.<span class="im"><br /><br /><b>Do you have any writing rituals?</b></span>Yes, I always feel like I have to have everything else taken care of first. No loose ends, so to speak, so that I can concentrate entirely on my writing.<span class="im"><br /><br /><b>Where do you write?</b><br />I have my computer on a desk in my den right next to sliding doors to the porch. It’s a very relaxing atmosphere.<br /><br /><b>Do you have a writing time of day? </b></span>It’s rather sporadic, as many of my author friends will probably agree. It’s difficult trying to balance every day’s obligations and find time for writing. I try to write a few hours in the evening usually between five and eight, and sometimes late at night.<span class="im"><br /><br /><b>Do you listen to music when you write?</b><br />I need quiet. I guess I’m guilty of "multiple personality disorder" in that I tend to take on the personalities of my characters as I’m developing them.<br /><br /><b>Do you drink or eat something special?</b></span>I usually have a soda sitting nearby because I like to whisper read a lot, and that makes me thirsty.<span class="im"><br /><br /><b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />None, I just come up with an idea and run with it. </span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When do your best ideas come to you? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There’s never been any particular time. An Idea will start to form out of the blue, and sometimes I act on it, and sometimes I don’t because, unfortunately, not every idea is a gem.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do?</span></b><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hold the thought and process it later.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="im"><br /><b>While working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="im">I write the way my life has always played out. I never know what’s going to happen until it happens. I don’t develop any elaborate outlines. I simply have an idea for the story, the main characters, a beginning, middle, and an end, and then I write to connect those aspects. Other characters and events show up along the way to bring the story to fruition, however, the ending is not always the one I originally had in mind.<br /><br /><b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can’t stress enough to Indy writers how extremely important the editing process is and how very necessary to have someone you can trust to do the proper job. As you know, readers are always concerned with reviews when deciding whether to read a book or not. I feel the same should apply to those who edit. In fact, I think they should have to worry about getting excellent reviews just as we writers do. I’ve often heard that Indy authors find out after their book is published that the editor they choose didn’t do the proper job. If you’re an Indy writer, you need to read your book at least one last time when you think the editing is completed before presenting it to the public, and never attempt to edit yourself unless you put some time between you and the story. When you write, your mind holds the information as you meant it to be and not necessarily as it is, which makes it nearly impossible to see your own mistakes.<br /><br />My books go through a grueling editing process during which time a lot ends up on “the cutting room floor” so to speak—just like a movie. You’ve got to discipline yourself to be able to part with your words when necessary so that you don’t have boring moments in your story. I also do the first editing of spelling, punctuation and tweaking. It then goes to my husband, Scott, who’s the content editor, and then to a former English professor who has beautifully done the final editing of all of my books so far, for errors in spelling, punctuation, etc. Then when he’s done, and the revisions are all made, my husband and I read the book out loud to find out if it flows smoothly, and if it doesn’t, those final edits are done.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Who/what inspires you? </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Great books and brilliant writing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>And most importantly: why do you write? </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">The first book I ever wrote was to keep my sanity while going through late-night hours worrying about everything my husband and I had worked for—our business, financial security, and our home. As hard as we tried, we weren’t able to survive the devastating effects of the economic down-turn that started in 2008 (the recession). We picked up the pieces, however, and are in the process of recovering, but what I learned during the process is that I truly love to write. I relish creating entertainment for people to escape into for the moment, just like I do when I’m writing it, and I always love hearing that my readers enjoyed their experience. </span><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing? </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">KNOCK ON WOOD, so far I’ve not had a problem with so called “writers block”, but I think if I did, I would try a new project rather than agonizing over my lack of inspiration. Start another story and let the other one sit for a while.</span><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><br /><br /><b>Other tidbits from PJ!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I want to thank you for asking me to be involved in this project, Jacqueline. I think it’s so important for new writers to be able to have input from their peers. It’s a very lonely and even a bit frightening feeling being a new writer just on the verge of launching that very first book. After all that time—months, possibly even years, and along with that great effort a bit of their heart and soul have all gone into their creation. Now their pride and joy is going to be judged, and I hope for all of them the acceptance is favorable and their on top of the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">Now I want to say to each of you that should you receive the dreaded bad review it’s not the end of the world. Not everyone is going to love you’re book and that’s okay, really! In fact, a few bad reviews along with mostly good ones, lets a potential reader know that all of the reviews are probably honest, but if that’s not the case and it turns out your book isn’t being well accepted, then you may need to learn what the problems are from those reviews, pull your book, and make the necessary corrections. One last thing, I want to say NEVER, NEVER give up on yourself, the fact that you’ve written a book is a huge accomplishment, and if you learn from that first one, you’ll go on to write better than you ever imagined you could. My very best wishes and much love to all of you.</span><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank YOU, Pletcha, for participating in my project, it was a pleasure :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">Need More PJ? Check her out on the web!</span></b><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><br /><br />Twitter: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/PletchaPJWebb" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">@PletchaPJWebb</span></a><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><br />Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/PJ.Webb.author" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">https://www.<wbr></wbr>facebook.com/PJ.Webb.author</span></a><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><br />Google + </span><a href="http://bit.ly/1EAbwmd" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">http://bit.ly/1EAbwmd</span></a><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><b>Check out her books here!</b><br /><br /><b>PART ONE - PRINCE OF THE BLOOD - TRANSFORMATION</b><br />Available at AMAZON </span><a href="http://amzn.to/1Ksb0Ml" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">http://amzn.to/1Ksb0Ml</span></a><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">FIVE STAR RATING by READER’S FAVORITE: </span><a href="https://t.co/jdipobX1ok" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">ReadersFavorite.com</span></a><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><br /><b>PART TWO- PRINCE OF THE BLOOD - EVOLUTION</b><br />Available at AMAZON </span><a href="http://t.co/jGdr9cFvhC" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;">http://amzn.to/1COtfsE </span></a><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"><br /><b>LORA LEE </b><br />Available at AMAZON </span><a href="https://t.co/S1cno5t2ry" target="_blank" title="http://amzn.to/1KqmRrR"><u>http://</u>amzn.to/1KqmRrR</a><span style="line-height: 20.7px;"> </span></span></div>
J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-25421090249858584912015-11-04T17:00:00.000-05:002015-11-04T17:00:01.589-05:00Casandra Charles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>CASANDRA CHARLES</b></span></div>
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Originally from Brooklyn, New York, with parents from Trinidad and Tobago, Casandra "CeCe" Charles graduated college with a BA degree in Mass Media Arts at Morris Brown College in Atlanta, GA., where she resided for many years.<br />
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Casandra always wanted to write a book but hesitated for many years, as she suffers from adult dyslexia. She never allowed her disability to hold her back on anything, and she finally completed her first book, JAMIE REYNOLDS CHRONICLES: LUST AND LIES, in 2015. <br />
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She is the successful owner of Smell the Sunset, LLC, which is an umbrella company for Creative Encores, LLC, an event planning business, and What's Good USA, a Good News website that highlights good news from around the United States and her newest adventure author. <br />
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Casandra lives by many mottos, but her favorite one is "Live today, Laugh often and Love always," which is also tattooed on her left arm to remind her every day to Live, Laugh and Love.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing? </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I believe no one has a perfect life and as much as everyone tries to avoid drama it is all around us. So I enjoy writing young adult African American drama. <br /><br /><b>What is your writing routine? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I love to curl up with my tablet or laptop with a glass of wine and just write. I can write anytime of the day or night. I love traveling so I actually get the most amount of writing done at an airport, on my flight or away from home.<br /><br /><b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas? </b><br /><br />I have no technique what so ever (lol), I just write. I can often skip around between chapters and then put them all together in the end. Writing has become an intimate part of me and I can feel inspired at anytime of the day so I try to always be ready to just put what’s in my mind down. <br /><br /><b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do? </b><br /><br />Easy questions- since 75% of the time I won’t be driving (lol) I can easily whip out my tablet and jot down a few thoughts. Thank goodness for car charges. <br /><br /><b>When do your best ideas come to you? What are your best brainstorming times? </b><br /><br />Fun question - I would have to say at the airport. I love people watching and I don’t know if this helps inspire me or just gets my mind turning but I can get the best writing and ideas at the airport at any time of day and at any airport. Also, I love relaxing on the beach so I would also say laying in a cabana on the beach with a cocktail also allows me to clear my mind and slowly starting to be the best time for brainstorming. <br /><br /><b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b> <br /><br />Not really, I guess you can say I write between chapters and then go back and re-read my work a bunch of times and then reworking the chapters to better fit the order I want. I actually don’t consider myself a big technology person but I can’t live without my laptop, tablet and Google docs. Google docs is amazing and has saved my life a few times when I feel like writing and I am between computers. <br /><br /><b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process? </b><br /><br />Since I am not a technology person I actual print out a full copy of my book and read it and make hand edits, then I go back to Google docs and edit my book from there. I believe I did this about four different times with LUST AND LIES. I even printed out the two edited copies my editor sent me and did the same thing just to make sure its right. <br /><br /><b>Who/what inspires you? </b><br /><br />Love this questions, I am inspired by the many strong African American woman who hit the bottom and rose to the top, the fighters that never gave up on themselves or their happiness. The incredible woman in my life including myself all has an amazing story and I love and respect them for it. They inspire me to follow my dreams and do the unthinkable sometimes (close my eyes, step out on faith and just jump). <br /><br /><b>And most importantly: why do you write</b>? <br /><br />I write because it allows me to dig deep inside of me and write not only my feelings about life but my family and friends feelings as well. Writing has become an intimate part of my life and helps me to express what’s around me on a daily basis (reality). This book was inspired by my life and so much of myself is in my writing and I enjoy being vulnerable but keeping the readers on their toes allowing them to guess what’s fictional and what’s nonfictional in my books.<br /><br /><b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing? Or, what do you do when you’re stuck? </b><br /><br />I don’t force it so I will stop. I feel this is the best solution for a writers block. I try to never set tight deadlines so I can take my time and stop when I need too. I would hate to force creativity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Want more Casandra? </b><br />Check her out on the web in these locations!<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/The-Jamie-Reynolds-Chronicles-1096309923721403/timeline/">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ThisIsCeCe">Twitter @ThisIsCeCe</a> | <a href="http://www.jamiereynoldschronicles.com/">www.JamieReynoldsChronicles.com</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14193475.Casandra_Charles">Goodreads</a> | <span style="line-height: 22.7333px;"><a href="https://www.createspace.com/5642798" style="line-height: 22.7333px;">Createspace</a></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lust-Lies-Jamie-Reynolds-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B012Q8X76M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1438351975&sr=8-2&keywords=lust+and+lies" style="line-height: 22.7333px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Purchase LUST AND LIES on Amazon</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="NL-BE" style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbC97Nb8vPlXA2AwAQLp3FzL0SpRXtZQpwf7dlWrI-DQVqjkwh53Q8LiAuT9HX1Q2NsBOfjCwtboASAtDKqU51EIc_yaXwZ7ufTCjE6cMLDi8op-517kJTzbTiYi4Fc0yvK-hZb2KF-ipO/s1600/JRC+Final+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbC97Nb8vPlXA2AwAQLp3FzL0SpRXtZQpwf7dlWrI-DQVqjkwh53Q8LiAuT9HX1Q2NsBOfjCwtboASAtDKqU51EIc_yaXwZ7ufTCjE6cMLDi8op-517kJTzbTiYi4Fc0yvK-hZb2KF-ipO/s320/JRC+Final+Book.jpg" width="212" /></a><b>THE JAMIE REYNOLDS CHRONICLES</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="NL-BE" style="line-height: 107%;"><b><i>LUST AND LIES</i></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">JR was young, single, making money, enjoying life and on top of her game as a successful event manager in Atlanta, Georgia. After graduating from Clark Atlanta University, she focused most of her life on her career, driven by the need to prove herself while working in a men’s field. Atlanta was all about keeping up with the Joneses and JR knew just how to do it. After seven years in Atlanta, she abruptly moved back to New York to be with her family when her dad had a near-death experience. During her move, she met Toni, a single, blue-collar, strong-minded guy who quickly swept her off her feet with his lies. <br /> <br /> Love was never on her mind, but Toni was different (she thought). Even though they were at two different places in life, JR let her guard down and welcomed him in. After only a few months of their long-distance relationship, things started to move really fast, making JR really nervous. Then the drama began as Toni suddenly moved in with her and she started uncovering the hidden secrets of the real person. <br /> <br /> As JR was coming to terms with the idea of Toni being in her life, she remained torn between him and her past in Atlanta. A past that included David, her on-again, off-again lover who was everything JR wanted in a man: well-educated with a successful career, good looks, and the drive to want more of everything that Toni didn’t have. However, even after two years of dating, their relationship was like oil and water: they just didn’t mix. As Toni’s real personality was revealed, David looked more and more like the safe place for JR. When her current situation started to heat up, JR began wishing she had her old life back. <br /> <br /> The Jamie Reynolds Chronicles: Lust and Lies is just the beginning as JR tries to find the right balance in her life; however, that happy balance is not so easy find, especially when it’s full of lust and lies.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lust-Lies-Jamie-Reynolds-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B012Q8X76M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1438351975&sr=8-2&keywords=lust+and+lies" style="line-height: 22.7333px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Purchase LUST AND LIES on Amazon</span></a></div>
J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-73715341748394744682015-10-28T17:00:00.000-04:002015-10-28T17:00:01.849-04:00Kelly Ann Jacobson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: start;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">KELLY ANN JACOBSON</span></b></span></div>
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Kelly Ann Jacobson is a fiction writer, poet, and editor who lives in Falls Church, Virginia. She received her MA in Fiction at Johns Hopkins University, and she now teaches as an Adjunct Professor. Kelly is the author of several books under her own name, including Cairo in White and The Troublemakers, as well as under her YA LGBT pen name, Annabelle Jay. Information about her books, poetry, short stories, and nonfiction, can be found at <a href="http://www.kellyannjacobson.com/">KellyAnnJacobson.com</a> or <a href="http://www.annabellejayauthor.wordpress.com/">www.annabellejayauthor.wordpress.com</a>. </div>
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<b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing?</b><br />
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I am the absolute worst author to ask this question. I write every genre, and I enjoy challenging myself by trying new genres I might be afraid of. For example, I recently finished a novella in stories written as individual mysteries because I had never written a mystery story before. In the past, I’ve written poetry, fantasy, young adult, science fiction, and much more. In terms of my favorite genres, my first love is literary fiction, so no matter what I write, it tends to have a literary style. I also love to meld genres; my most recent novel, The Troublemakers, is an action romance. <br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals?</b><br />
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I try to always write in the morning, preferably right when I wake up and have no distractions, since I get less and less productive as the day goes on. If my husband tries to talk to me during that time, I get very cranky. Unfortunately teaching has been keeping me pretty busy, so I only write a page or two every morning, but it’s amazing how quickly those paragraphs add up into chapters and books. Coffee is one of the great loves of my life (I literally hug my mug in the morning), and I always eat breakfast while I read over the previous day’s work. <br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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Even though I teach methods of organization to my students, I am a total hypocrite. I almost never plot out my stories before I write them (or my books), and I often only know the beginning and end of a project. Sometimes, I don’t know the end either. This is true for everything I write in every genre. This routine results in a lot of situations where I get stuck in the middle with no clue what direction I’m headed (this is happening currently with a new novel I’m working on), but it’s the only way I stay interested in the book. <br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b></div>
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<b><br /></b>I always write as it comes, from the beginning, in a single word document. Only after I finish a book do I go back and plot things out, looking for gaps or places I can expand a certain character or scene. This might sound strange, but I basically write the way I read: quickly, and to entertain myself. I watch the scenes unfold with as little control over them as if I was reading someone else’s work. I can’t describe it well, but sometimes I feel like I’ve been in a trance for several months, and after I finish a book it feels like it was all a dream. I can barely remember the character’s names, and only the bare bones of the plot, the way you remember a book you read in high school. Writing literary fiction slows me down, because it forces me to think through every sentence, but even still I get into this strange rhythm with the words and look back on them without remembering them a lot of the time. <br />
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process? </b><br />
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Again, I’m a total hypocrite. I hate revising, and if I think a piece needs serious work, I prefer to rewrite the entire thing from scratch rather than work through specific problems. For example, when I got to the end of the program at Hopkins and realized my first novel, Cairo in White, needed to be revised, I opened a blank word document and started the whole thing again. <br />
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That is not to say I never edit—I do revising and line edits with my editor, especially when that editor is Marci Clark, who edited Cairo in White at Musa Publishing and who I trust completely with my books—but that I usually need some prompting/advice to start me on the path, as well as a publication end goal. <br />
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When I go back and read a piece I’ve written, I usually put it into one of two categories: “small edits and it’s ready to go” or “needs a complete rewrite.” There’s not a lot in the middle, and I am not afraid to shelve pieces (or an entire book) I’m not ready to revise or rewrite at the time. Occasionally, I do come back to them. <br />
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write? </b><br />
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I have always written books. Ever since I was five and I wrote my first sentences, I’ve been writing short novels for my own entertainment. I follow whatever stories come into my imagination, even if I have no idea how they will ever sell. Take, for example, my chapbook Robots on the Horizon, a book of poetry and prose about robots in the year 2050. The only people who read that book are my students, and that’s because I make them. But I didn’t write it for other people—I wrote it because the concept was interesting to me, and I couldn’t not write it. These ideas constantly pop into my head—almost immediately after I finish a book I’m on to the next one—and I just follow them. Sometimes they work out, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they feel like they’ll be a short story and they become a novel; sometimes they’re supposed to be a novel, and they end abruptly, to my surprise, as a short story or novella. That adventure is my motivation. <br />
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<b>Want more Kelly? Check her out on the web!</b><br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/KAnnJacobson">Twitter @KAnnJacobson</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WriterKellyAnnJacobson">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/KellyAnnJacobson">Goodreads</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kellyannjacobson.com/">KellyAnnJacobson.com</a> | <a href="http://www.kellyannjacobson.com/blog">Blog</a> | <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/kajacobson">Smashwords</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Ann-Jacobson">Amazon</a><br />
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<b>And check out her books, available on Amazon!</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Troublemakers-Kelly-Ann-Jacobson/dp/1612965725">The Troublemakers</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cairo-White-Kelly-Ann-Jacobson/dp/1619373777/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424295304&sr=8-1&keywords=cairo+in+white">Cairo in White (Literary Fiction)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Zaniyah-Trilogy-Kelly-Ann-Jacobson/dp/1503079872/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424295336&sr=8-1&keywords=the+zaniyah+trilogy">The Zaniyah Trilogy (YA Fantasy)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Beauty-Kelly-Ann-Jacobson-ebook/dp/B00O3QS0X6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424295355&sr=8-2&keywords=kelly+ann+jacobson">A Little Beauty (New Adult)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Anthology-Fantasy-Fiction-Adults/dp/1501090038/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1424295355&sr=8-3&keywords=kelly+ann+jacobson">Magical: An Anthology of Fantasy, Fairy Tales, and Other Magical Fiction (Adult)</a></div>
J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-62752396356889284682015-10-21T17:00:00.000-04:002015-10-21T17:05:29.994-04:00Ami Hendrickson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iFgLQw3Uh9y9Z_D5Kdj0VNxEFRAFtfFRxEhdsc-G2tLsbBFasKNJW0Dh3qQM-ydcob5hu_LHmteHUECfb4Nio2nocnL-aMhfiwWL3fcJ7tACGYf3ryCXee7O8x8cvX0vJ2kcTLZXuiEV/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iFgLQw3Uh9y9Z_D5Kdj0VNxEFRAFtfFRxEhdsc-G2tLsbBFasKNJW0Dh3qQM-ydcob5hu_LHmteHUECfb4Nio2nocnL-aMhfiwWL3fcJ7tACGYf3ryCXee7O8x8cvX0vJ2kcTLZXuiEV/s1600/unnamed.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>AMI HENDRICKSON</b></span></div>
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First of all, welcome back to the Process Project after our long hiatus! I am absolutely thrilled to be kick starting this new season with the amazingly multi-talented <a href="http://www.amihendrickson.com/">Ami Hendrickson</a>. Ami and I met on twitter and she has been incredibly helpful both with my horse-training journey, and my query process. So, without further ado, I present to you, author <a href="http://www.amihendrickson.com/">Ami Hendrickson</a>!<br />
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Ami Hendrickson writes books, screenplays, poetry, songs, manuals, and to–do lists that grow faster than Jack’s beanstalk. She also writes for famous horse people. On occasion, she has been so immersed in polishing plot points that she walked out of a store, leaving her purchases behind. She is represented by <a href="http://www.akalm.net/">AKA Literary Management</a>.<br />
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She fuels her muse with coffee and Earl Grey tea. While she has a longstanding love affair with chocolate, her obsession with cinnamon red hots borders on the pathological.<br />
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In addition to writing, some of Ami’s favorite pastimes involve riding her Percheron, playing with her dogs, teaching writers workshops, smooching her husband or snuggling her daughter during a movie. And eating the aforementioned red hots. There is always room at her table for one more plate; always room in her heart for one more critter. Ami and her family live with their “vast menagerie” on a 100+ year–old farm in southwest Michigan.<br />
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[Please note: In the event that science succeeds in creating a working holodeck, Ami will no longer be available to speak at conferences, as she will be… otherwise engaged. You have been warned.]<br />
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<b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing? (ie: Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Horror, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Poetry, etc.)</b><br />
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My main genre is Whatever I Am Working On At The Moment. My day job is writing — usually non-fiction, often on equine-related topics.<br />
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I also act as Muse-for-Hire / Writing Coach to a select clientele of writers who write everything from crime novels, to sports novels, to YA fantasy, to literary fiction.<br />
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I write songs, picture books, screenplays… At least I no longer work in advertising writing words destined to become landfill.<br />
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My current project is a sweeping multi-volume medieval fantasy, so I guess I’d have to say that’s my “main genre.” For now.<br />
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<b>Do you think your genre of writing informs your process? </b><br />
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I follow the same basic process regardless of genre, length, or audience.<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine?</b><br />
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I have to balance my “fun writing” with my “work writing.” And, since I like to eat, my work writing comes first. If I'm writing under contract (and, therefore, on deadline) I'm a machine. I work on a strict schedule, but deliberately plan blocks of "decompression" time during the day. When it's decompressing time, I close the files of the project I've been working on and step awa-a-a-ay from the computer. <br />
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I live on a farm, so I can’t get started writing until everyone else — dogs, ducks, chickens, horses — eats. Then, fueled with copious amounts of coffee, I get started. Coffee is essential. I drink decaf and can do a bang-up job of convincing myself that it’s somehow good for me. <br />
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I can write anywhere, but do my best work when surrounded by my dogs. I’ve got three medium-sized rescues, all of whom take their jobs as muses very seriously. One, a Pitbull-cross, is under the mistaken impression that I am most productive when her head is on my lap. She has grown used to me plopping my computer on top of her and using her as a desk.<br />
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When I’m writing something new, music is the Worst Distraction Ever. It’s worse than <a href="http://twitter.com/museinks">Twitter</a>. It’s even worse than a nine-year-old boy playing Matchbox cars in the same room (I speak with the voice of experience). I rent studio space and have a white noise machine to minimize background noise there. When I’m writing at home, peace and quiet reign. When I’m editing, though, I like instrumental music (music with lyrics can interfere with a good edit, IMHO). Weirdly, my favorite editing music at the moment is, erm, Wikipedia. [<a href="http://listen.hatnote.com/">http://listen.hatnote.com/</a>] It’s oddly cool to listen to it, knowing it’s a musical interpretation of information being shared in real time.<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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If I’m ghostwriting for an expert in a particular field, the publisher usually brings me into the project fairly early. We develop a working Table of Contents — a topical list of everything we want to cover in the book — and make sure the list follows a logical order. That becomes my working outline. <br />
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If I’m writing for myself, whether a novel or a screenplay, I begin with an obsession. I have so many ideas and so little time, the idea that refuses to leave me alone — that interferes with my sleep — is the one that gets greenlit.<br />
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I start with a single, simple, one or two word sentence that states what the project is about. I include the protagonist, the antagonist, the stakes, and, when applicable, the deadline. There have been times I’ve begun writing before doing this step. Without exception, upon finishing the initial draft, I realize my story has gotten out of control and is dripping all over the place like a gloppy deepfried doughball. In such cases, I’ve wasted more time working backward, trying to find the germ of the story than I’d ever have spent if I’d just distilled the essence of my story from the beginning.<br />
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When writing fiction, I won't let myself write a single word of the actual manuscript until I know all the beats of the story <i>(More on story beats & structure in the answer to the next question). </i>I am a firm believer in structure and do my best to make sure I have all the major kinks worked out ahead of time. I can spend weeks making my outline, a fluid file that includes all sorts of scraps and pieces from my research: website URLs, YouTube videos, snippets of dialogue, or themes that I want to touch upon at a particular point in the story. As I begin the actual writing, my outline is like having a well-worn scrapbook showing me that I've already thought through the journey.<br />
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My final “idea organizing” tool is a little embarrassing: I engage in "Dream Casting" to a ridiculous degree. In order to get to know my main characters well, I cast them as if I were filming a movie instead of writing a book. Then I spend some time online gathering pictures of my Major Players. These pictures become my screensaver. (This, I realize, can make me look like the most obsessive fangirl, but it works to keep my characters real. Fortunately, I have an extremely understanding husband.)<br />
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Sometimes, I want to be able to envision the actual characters, instead of projecting them onto celebrities. I work with <a href="http://karinadale.tumblr.com/">Karina Dale</a>, an amazingly talented artist; I'll give her a description of who my characters are, and she draws pictures that bring them to life in a way that provides tangible inspiration throughout the project.<br />
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Here are two examples of her work for my current work-in-progress:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_enhCD_EO684EbsqTGsMHtpFWp-J4QJzpdiDeum-G0Qb2bfNwmeEqdg4__y0XDrbYbkCPJskM_Dp8BRAahXQjkuLIjAesADjjPO1brS2mNmRws5kUXbxWy7TDGvMBwp4xA8iMOMwpgmg/s1600/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_enhCD_EO684EbsqTGsMHtpFWp-J4QJzpdiDeum-G0Qb2bfNwmeEqdg4__y0XDrbYbkCPJskM_Dp8BRAahXQjkuLIjAesADjjPO1brS2mNmRws5kUXbxWy7TDGvMBwp4xA8iMOMwpgmg/s320/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" width="224" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiind170zNH95ZU6FrlDIrJt7UaL2eVHpfcwRe_bzlpuXfj8dKATLCO3NcoQXQbSQY0K73wd6Esm5GtzzsVgjRdJIjAdNQv-o8MFD2R4MXZIka0sWHDtYfBTysdfL65Pj3wDqPk_szBkwq9/s1600/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiind170zNH95ZU6FrlDIrJt7UaL2eVHpfcwRe_bzlpuXfj8dKATLCO3NcoQXQbSQY0K73wd6Esm5GtzzsVgjRdJIjAdNQv-o8MFD2R4MXZIka0sWHDtYfBTysdfL65Pj3wDqPk_szBkwq9/s320/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" width="222" /></a><br />
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do? </b><br />
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Since I spend so much time in the car, I often dictate a lot of my first draft. I still have an old-school flip phone because I love the MP3 voice recorder on it. I upgraded to a smartphone for awhile, but couldn’t find a recording app I liked half as much, so I went back to Ol Flipper. I’ll dictate while driving, then transcribe and embellish. <br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work?</b><br />
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If I’m ghostwriting non-fiction, the Table of Contents that the publisher and the expert agreed upon becomes my working outline. I go through each topic and write a list of questions I feel should be answered by the time the reader finishes with that chapter. Then I work with the expert to make sure the questions are answered as clearly as possible. I pay attention to things like how the expert structures sentences, what words and phrases are routinely used, and how examples and analogies are incorporated. If I do my job right, the book will sound like the expert; my voice won’t show through at all.<br />
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For fiction and screenplays, my one-word sentence becomes the seed that grows the story. Once I know what I’m writing about, I develop the story beats. (I’m a big fan of a modified <a href="http://www.savethecat.com/">Save the Cat</a> approach. Not only does it streamline my personal writing projects, but it gives me an invaluable shorthand when I work with co-writers.) Those beats become my road map. <br />
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On big, sweeping, epic projects — I’m in the midst of one right now — I chart each major character’s developmental arc separately, in addition to the overarching story beats. Once I know the pitch, the beats, and the journey I want each major character to take, I start to write. <br />
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First, I make a file listing tentative chapter names, the dates each chapter takes place (to keep my story’s chronology straight), and a short thumbnail of what happens in each chapter. I have a separate file for each chapter and don’t combine them all into a single document until after the first draft is finished.<br />
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I write most of the first draft in longhand. My handwriting is the worst kind of hybrid chicken-scratch / shorthand / death throes of a three-toed sloth amalgamation you’ve ever seen. If I wrote in code, it couldn’t be any more illegible. For me, writing in longhand is more conducive to the raw creativity a first draft of fiction needs than is the tick-tick of typing on a keyboard.<br />
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When a complete scene is written, I’ll type it into my computer and add to it. By the time something gets typed, it’s already been edited twice: once during the longhand transcription and once during the typing, so it’s fairly polished.<br />
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b><br />
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Soooo many methods. When I teach writing workshops, I spend a lot of time giving writers various tools for editing their work. I could go on and on about the editing process. What’s difficult is trying to be brief…<br />
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I revise in layers. The first draft I call the “slinging paint” phase. I can’t edit something that isn’t written, so the key to the first draft is not letting myself get sidetracked by revision and editing until I’ve written all the way to The End. <br />
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The first revision involves filling in all the holes I know exist in the manuscript and making sure the internal story logic is sound.<br />
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Various layers of editing follow. First, I’ll start at the beginning and re-read the project from start to finish, editing it as if it were a client’s work that I was reading for the first time. I’ll play up the themes that developed as the story took shape, eradicate any clichés that crept in, and make sure each character speaks with a unique voice. <br />
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Often, I’ll focus on a single character or motif and do a pass that focuses only on that aspect. I liken this time to spackling and sanding drywall before painting.<br />
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Eventually, the project comes to a point where every word has fought for the right to exist. I may be able to come up with things I could change in the manuscript, but those changes won’t necessarily improve the book. When I get to that stage, I’m done; the project is ready to face the firing range of my beta readers. <br />
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After this phase, unless my betas come up with something seriously wrong, I won’t edit again until a publisher calls for changes.<br />
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write?</b><br />
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I *love* being a writer. I love creating new characters and new worlds, crafting stories and immersing myself in words. I love trying to find the perfect way to express an emotion in order for someone I don't know and may never meet to read my words and experience the same feeling. I love the research, the creative process, and the editing. I love collaborating with world-class experts just as much as I love delving deeply into a world that is mine -- all mine!<br />
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<b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing?</b><br />
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I don't suffer much from Writer's Block, though I do get "stuck" on occasion. Usually, any sticking is the result of insufficient research. If I really know my characters and their world <i>and </i>I have a complete outline, my problem is not getting stuck; it's finding enough time to write. The first thing I do when I start to stick is revisit my story road-map, making sure I am completely sure of who my characters are.<br />
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If what is causing me to stick is a plot hole, my sure-fire fix for plugging the hole is talking the problem through with my husband. He's a great listener and has an amazing instinctive feel for story. He rarely offers The Answer, but he's really good at letting me bounce several possibilities off of him and lighting up when he hears the one that works best.<br />
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If I'm having a particularly hard time harnessing the Muse and getting her to smile upon me, I've been known to follow the rabbit holes of YouTube or listen to music that I think would make a great soundtrack to the work in progress until inspiration strikes. Often, those forays away from the manuscript lead to new insights into character or story.<br />
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If all else fails, I have a can't-miss, sure-fire cure for dealing with the blank page bogeyman: enforced page count. A few years ago, I participated in the 3-day Novel Writing Contest, a crazy 72-hour adventure in which <strike>gluttons for punishment</strike> contestants wrote an entire book -- start to finish -- from scratch. Though the resulting 30,000-word novella wasn't polished, by any means, the experience taught me the importance of plowing through. Sometimes just <i>making </i>yourself write the words that propel the story forward, without engaging the mental brakes that can derail or stall the process, is what it takes.<br />
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<b>Want more Ami? Check her out on the web below!</b><br />
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Check out her Website -- <a href="http://www.amihendrickson.com/">Ami Hendrickson</a><br />
Her Blog -- <a href="http://museinks.blogspot.com/">Museinks</a> <br />
Twitter -- <a href="http://www.twitter.com/museinks">@MuseInks</a><br />
Or download her books on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ami-Hendrickson/e/B004VFFSY8/">Ami Hendrickson's Amazon Author Page</a>J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-70820215680087071912015-07-01T17:00:00.000-04:002015-10-12T21:51:16.302-04:00Rhiannon Paille<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCro6Ot9FfLzL1NEv8-dCqRSfIGFXNrvT_u9naQwYv3xlfLd-OzNMFT-FLX-DBUWtzesLt9PTyyPuzFisMnnvZ1o8ysvB9UxdstM1fXFXrKAO8fPtxVFFSduK57OQ_YgpJMvINsRfxnYP8/s1600/RIP.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCro6Ot9FfLzL1NEv8-dCqRSfIGFXNrvT_u9naQwYv3xlfLd-OzNMFT-FLX-DBUWtzesLt9PTyyPuzFisMnnvZ1o8ysvB9UxdstM1fXFXrKAO8fPtxVFFSduK57OQ_YgpJMvINsRfxnYP8/s200/RIP.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">RHIANNON PAILLE</span></b></div>
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Rhiannon is a Booksmith from the middle of nowhere, Canada. She holds a PhD in Metaphysical Science and Parapsychology, which is to say she happens to know a lot about what goes bump in the night. When she's not writing she's singing karaoke, burning dinner, and hiding her superhero identity. She'd like to own a unicorn one day, as long as it doesn't eat her. You'll find her sipping iced cappuccino despite her allergy to coffee at <a href="http://yafantasyauthor.com/">yafantasyauthor.com</a><br />
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<b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing? </b><br />
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Young Adult and Non Fiction<br />
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<b>Do you think your genre of writing informs your process? </b><br />
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No, I think while there are different plot formulas for different genres (like the <a href="http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm">Hero's Journey</a> for fantasy) I also believe that your voice can only come from you, and your process of getting words down on paper isn't necessarily connected to your genre. For instance, just because you write fantasy does not mean your process will be like <a href="http://www.georgerrmartin.com/">George R.R. Martin</a> who releases a book once in a century or something.<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals?</b><br />
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I suppose my routine is that I wait. I wait a long time until all the ideas in my head have hit a braying so loud I can't ignore them anymore. I outline in a frantic rush to get ideas to paper and then I wait some more. I wait until there is beauty and silence and until all the words have found their way to the surface and in a frenzy of skill, focus and dedication I chain myself to the computer, shut up my windows and doors and barely see the light of day until every last scene in the outline is written, and until every heart stopping moment has happened on paper.<br />
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Sometimes it takes six weeks, sometimes I do it in intervals, two weeks and 75,000 words, or five weeks and 133,000 words, my record is 91,000 words in ten days. It made me sick, but the book is amazing.<br />
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I always listen to music, often songs on repeat as they keep me in the mood of the scene and the story. I never write until my whole mind is focused on it, and even then, I only focus my whole mind on it for a short time until it's done, and then I relax.<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas?</b><br />
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For Young Adult it's always a simple spark that ignites a story. I find I'm not one that can force my writing, so it might take me a long time but it's worth it in the end because when the iron strikes, that's when I write down the ideas.<br />
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I can sometimes take months or even years for the greatest ideas to come to me, and that's because I write when I have a story to tell, not just to put words to paper and make up whatever crap my dull brain can come up with. I wait until I have something truly original and unique and then I let it loose onto the pages.<br />
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Once the ideas have formed and I'm satisfied enough with those unique and original elements, I outline the book, adding in the mundane elements, the logistics and sometimes little details that sweeten the already original and unique ideas that made me want to write the book in the first place.<br />
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When it comes to non fiction however, I am equally as slow because the type of non fiction I write is within an industry that has a lot of controversy surrounding it to begin with and I'm trying to put standards and commonalities into the community. So I mostly toil over lessons to teach and which personal antidotes to tell before I compile the best lesson plan I can.<br />
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I'm also at a point in my non fiction where I'm writing things at an advanced level that won't appeal to the general public. My latest non fiction book is equivalent to a Masters level course in my industry and the next will be a Doctorate's level.<br />
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So in some ways these are technical manuals that will not appeal to the general public, and equally be misunderstood, and sometimes insulted or criticized for its boldness in belief, technique and validity.<br />
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In other words, when it comes to non fiction, I expect to bathe in blood when the reviews come in.<br />
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<b>When do your best ideas come to you? </b><br />
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Usually when I'm driving.<br />
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<b>When you’re on the road and ideas come to you, what do you usually do? </b><br />
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I have a great memory so I often experience my ideas in full and I store them in my mind the way we do memories. I simply tag them so I can go back to them later.<br />
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<b>While you are working on a piece, do you have any particular way that you structure your work? </b><br />
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When I first began outlining I did it in a paper notebook with a pencil. When I later wrote the book I had my notes beside the computer and used them as cues.<br />
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During some of my time as a writer however I developed some <a href="http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/arthritis-tendinitis">tendinitis</a> and I couldn't create the handwritten versions the way I used to. My hands would cramp up. So I began outlining on the computer, which doesn't help me think much better, but was faster.<br />
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My outlines alone were 25k words long.<br />
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I've since for my latest book gone back to the pencil and paper method, but it's allowed me to outline the book slowly, and with more deliberate thought to what happens to my characters. I liked that it wasn't like wild fire and that I had to get everything in my head onto paper immediately. I was a lot more leisurely than it's ever been before.<br />
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process?</b> <br />
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I wait. I write the first draft and I wait until I'm ready to go through a first pass. I often go through four passes of revising and editing before handing it over to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_reader">alpha readers</a>. I do a fifth pass to correct and revise anything I hadn't already revised before sending it to alpha readers. I then send it to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_reader">beta readers</a> and hear their feedback before doing round six and then one of my betas usually copy edits it a second time from a reader's perspective, and then I do my seventh pass to make sure I catch all of those mistakes.<br />
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Still after all of those passes, the editors at my publishing house go over it again for potential corrections. The latest novel I gave them had three that were missed, and one of those three were a matter of opinion. I shared my reasoning for my word choice and I hope it suffices.<br />
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So I'd say my process is thorough if not a bit overdone.<br />
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write?</b><br />
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I write because I have a story to tell. Without stories to tell I wouldn't be writing. What keeps me motivated are my fans and my love of stories. I believe certain stories have a kind of reality to them, like they are their own reality and I want to give readers an opportunity to live in the worlds I create inside my head.<br />
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<b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing?</b><br />
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Honestly, deal with your life. Sometimes it's hard to write when your life is getting in the way and stressing you out. It's hard to be good at something when you don't have the time to think. Meditate and get back on the horse.<br />
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<b>Need more Rhiannon?? Check her out on the web!</b><br />
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And read her books here!<br />
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4322960704725249152.post-48200002963740268002015-06-24T17:00:00.000-04:002015-10-12T21:48:32.847-04:00Gillian Felix<div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">GILLIAN FELIX</span></b></div>
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Gillian Felix was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad. She grew up watching night time soap operas by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005455/">Aaron Spelling</a> with her mother. That’s where her obsession with rich, powerful and devious characters were born. After repeatedly seeing Mr. Spelling’s name on the screen night after night, Gillian knew she wanted to be an Aaron Spelling, before she knew that Aaron Spelling was actually a person.</div>
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Gillian pursued drama in high school although it was not taught as a “serious subject”. When asked what career she wanted to pursue after graduation, she told her guidance counselor that she wanted to be an actress, and was told that acting is not a “real job”. </div>
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When Gillian moved to the US in 1998, she landed an internship with Spotlight On Theater in New York City, where she learned stage managing, casting and the technical aspect of running a production. Later she branched out into film, and fell in love with the behind the scenes action of film and theatre production. She traded acting and her “real job” for a career in film and theater production. Gillian continued writing novels and scripts but kept them to herself.</div>
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When not writing, Gillian can be found volunteering at the <a href="http://www.childrensgrief.org/">New Mexico Children’s Grief Center </a>or hiking the many mountains that surround New Mexico. Gillian can easily get lost in a parking lot and considers herself directionally challenged. She is always grateful for the people she hikes with, because without them she’d be left roaming the mountains like a lost mountain goat.</div>
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<b>What is/are your main genre/field of writing? (ie: Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Horror, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Poetry, etc.) </b><br />
<b><br /></b>My genre would be New Adult, fiction, drama. Because of the content of my series, even though the main characters are fifteen-year-old girls, they deal with very grown up issues and the people around them are also highly featured. It is not a light and fluffy series… it ranges from dark to funny.<br />
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<b>What is your writing routine? Do you have any writing rituals?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>I’ve found my writing sweet spot is around 9pm – 11pm on weekdays and 6pm – 10pm on weekends. Although I can write anytime the ideas hit, but mostly that’s my writing schedule. I usually write in my little desk in the corner of my bedroom. I also hand write scenes at work during my down time if I get an idea for a scene. I get ideas for scenes usually while I’m hiking, out in nature or sometimes if I am listening to music while doing chores, or just before bed.<br />
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<b>When you are preparing to write a new story, what kinds of techniques or methods do you use to organize your ideas? </b><br />
<b><br /></b>Family Portrait was originally written as a television series in script format in <a href="https://www.celtx.com/index.html">Celtix </a>software. I rewrote it book form. It is kind of tricky because writing for television and for readers is completely different. I found that I have to arc the stories differently to make it easier for readers to follow, since they are not seeing the characters on screen every week. I had to combine at least 3 or more episodes into one book. The thing with that is, if not done correctly, it could affect story-lines further down the series. To keep track of story-lines, I have a five section notebook with tabs (*the Bible). Before I start a new book I refer to the “bible” to see what story I could tell and which I could wrap up. Then I take to my white board and put the chapters down in points.<br />
<i>*In show running everything about the show is kept in a document called the show Bible. </i><br />
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<b>When it's time to revise/edit your work, do you have any particular methods that you use to help you through the process? </b><br />
<b><br /></b>My first draft is always the sloppiest. I just write things as they come. Then during the second draft, I ponder what could be expanded upon. I take it chapter by chapter and analyze it to make sure there is enough drama, if the story-line works or if the character is true to their personality. When I am finished with the second draft I send it to my story editor for her to analyze and let me know if everything is clear. I’ve found that it’s always good to get a second eye when it comes to the way the story flows… it may make complete sense to me, but to someone else, it may be confusing. The third draft is what I send to my proofreader, who then edits for grammatical errors, punctuation, spelling and continuity.<br />
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<b>Is there any advice you can give to writers struggling to get the words flowing? </b><br />
<b><br /></b>When I’m stuck I usually do a few things:<br />
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<li>I go for a hike. Nature always replenishes me</li>
<li>Listen to music</li>
<li>Read a book in another genre. It takes my mind away off of my writing and opens me up to new ideas.</li>
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<b>And most importantly: why do you write?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>I LOVE LOVE LOVE to write and tell stories. I am truly passionate about my writing career. I’ve walked away from it many times in the past and it has always come back to me. This time I am not letting it go. Whether I make a living off of it or not, I’ll be doing it till my fingers fall off. That’s what keeps me motivated.<br />
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Thank you very much for all you do to support fellow authors. I think that is very important. I would like to let aspiring authors know that they are not alone, and other authors are not your enemy, there is no competition, just run your own race and help people along the way. Most importantly, if you are not passionate about the craft then move on to something that you are passionate about :)<br />
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<b>Want to read from Gillian?</b><br />
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<a href="http://familyportrait.plaintalkbm.com/">Media Page</a> | <a href="http://www.plaintalkbm.com/">Author Website</a> | <a href="https://tinyletter.com/GillianFx">Newsletter</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/gillianfx">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7210783.Gillian%20Felix">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/changes-family-portrait-v.1/id815348621?mt=11">iTunes</a> | <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Gillianfx">Smashwords</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/gillian-felix?store=allproducts&keyword=gillian+felix">Barnes & Noble</a><br />
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Want to give the series a try? Changes the first novel in the series is <b>FREE on Amazon </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EADYMCA">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EADYMCA</a>.<br />
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<b>Read the Family Portrait Series here!</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EADYMCA">Book I: Changes</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H1AQ8H6">Book II: Banovic Siblings</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JNVXEXM">Book III: Bastard’s Brew</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q2E98BA">Book IV: Perfect Escape</a><br />
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<b>Acclaim for Family Portrait!</b></div>
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“I see a huge following for this new series! I know I'm going to watch for more!” Di Bylo – Amazon Top Reviewer</blockquote>
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“Gillian Felix is truly wonderful in the way she writes and captivates her readers. She has a true gift and I guess anyone who reads her books will be waiting for the next book as eagerly as I am." Namrata Ganti - Red Pillows</blockquote>
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“There are love, lies, secrets, and desires that rival any soap opera out there.” Karen-Anne Stewart, Author</blockquote>
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“This series is like the Sopranos meets Nashville. It was gritty and realistic whilst entertaining and dark.” Rachel P</blockquote>
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J Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01107881313035834404noreply@blogger.com0